WHAT I HAVE DONE WITH BIRDS 



without giving any evidence of fear or indication of flight. Then, 

 because in field work you are never sure of, your subject from one 

 day to the next, I secured the nest with its v five beautiful eggs. 



Next day I went back early, but a nestling had arrived ahead 

 of me, which explained why its mother brooded so constantly the 

 previous day. For several days I called on them and secured some 

 interesting study at each visit. Once while waiting with a set 

 camera and long hose in the hope of securing Father Jay feeding 

 his mate or nestlings, a bareheaded, yellow-mouthed baby thrust 

 its head from under its mother's breast, and, using the hard rough 

 edge of the nest for a pillow, went fast asleep. I gave the bulb 

 one frantic grip and hastened up the ladder to turn the plate 

 holder. I barely had it inserted when a wonderful thing hap- 

 pened. The baby lifted its head and opened wide its yellow mouth 

 against the breast of its mother. For an instant my fingers flew 

 so fast I was scarcely sure I had caught it. The shutter proved 

 I had and in my delight I called to my assistant, "Look here! 

 Quick!" 



"Take it !" he shouted. "Take it !" 



"Well, do you suppose I stopped to call you to look before I 

 did?" I questioned reproachfully. "I never have seen a picture 

 like that made with a camera or drawn by an artist. I truly be- 

 lieve I have something perfectly new." 



"Smart Alec! Smart Alec! Smart Alec!" cried Father Jay, 

 as he came winging into the elm with a worm in his beak, which in 

 no way seemed to impede his utterance. 



So to prove him a truthful bird I thrust another holder into 

 the camera and photographed him as he fed one of his nestlings 

 a worm while at the same time Mother Jay removed a cloaca. 



In the following days I studied those Jays closely. There 



