WHAT I HAVE DONE WITH BIRDS 



PROVING THAT MOTHER CUCKOO WOULD BROOD WHILE I WORKED BEHIND HER 



that she would return to her nest in the evening sooner than in the 

 morning, when she would have left once to bathe and drink; so 

 I went back to the carriage, got my clippers and approached the 

 nest again, just as cautiously as before. She left at about ten 

 feet. With all possible speed, cutting not a twig that was not 

 necessary, I cleared the foreground and hurried away. 



That night the nervous strain was so great I could not sleep 

 and the next morning I was at the cabin as early as there was light 

 and tried to approach the nest with tripod and camera. At fifteen 

 feet Mother Cuckoo simply vanished. There I stood sick with 

 disappointment. The previous evening had made me too sure. 

 There was nothing left to do but vanish myself. Thinking it 



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