PREFACE ix 



ful photographs of birds in their nests, or of those 

 feeding their young, as the slight noise of the 

 shutter sufficed to make the timid creature raise 

 its wings preparatory to flying away. I tried 

 giving quicker exposures of ^ or g 1 ^ of a second, 

 but this only increased the trouble, as more noise 

 was made in working at a high speed. Now the 

 difficulty has been overcome, an exposure of ^ or 

 <^ of a second can be given and good results 

 obtained, and also a more fully exposed and better 

 photograph follows. All the photographs of birds 

 appearing in this book, with one or two exceptions, 

 have not had a quicker exposure than ^o f a 

 second. For birds flying, and some that are some- 

 what restless, such as Starlings when feeding, a 

 much quicker exposure is necessary, and a focal- 

 plane shutter is really essential. 



Many little dodges have to be resorted to in 

 order to overcome the disadvantages of shyness. 

 Some birds tax our powers of resource and 

 patience to the utmost ; others are so confiding as 

 to allow one to approach with a camera without 

 apparently taking offence, or even much notice at 

 all. When desiring to photograph a shy bird on its 

 nest, it is a good plan to place a heap of dried grass 

 or rubbish some distance away, and then to move 

 this nearer at ; ntervals of several hours, or even 



