1 88 IN BIRD-LAND 



off, and jumped into the stream just as my King- 

 fisher was on the point of diving, thus frightening 

 him away. I waited some time thinking he might 

 return, but to no purpose. 



Just before the Kingfisher arrived, a little shrew 

 had been playing near just below, and running up 

 the thick grass stems. Then a Thrush came and 

 sat at my feet, undecided whether it would have a 

 bath ; and meanwhile was startled by a slight 

 movement on my part. In a few minutes a 

 water-vole swam across the stream and sat on the 

 bank. 



These little animals seem to be paralysed, as it 

 were, by any sudden noise or movement, so that 

 such a phenomenon ensures their remaining 

 stationary and quiet ; and knowing this, I managed 

 to get one or two pictures of them one afternoon. 

 There was some little difficulty in focussing, but I 

 overcame this by focussing a certain spot in their 

 runs and waiting until they came into it. The 

 instant they reached this place, I set up the most 

 alarming noise possible, jumped about, waved my 

 arms, and doing any other thing that occurred to 

 me as likely to serve the purpose, and by such 

 means I was able to give the needful ten seconds 

 exposure. It was a dull afternoon ; the poor voles, 

 not seeming to know which way to turn, remained 



