14 WILD LIFE AND THE CAMERA 



dark room to develop what I hoped would turn out 

 to be a good negative, but such was not to be ; 

 during the long exposure the bird had moved and 

 so the plate was spoiled. Once more I returned to 

 the tree, and after a short wait succeeded in making 

 another exposure, this time with better results as 

 shown in the accompanying illustration. Incident- 

 ally I may remark that my friend was convinced. 



We will now turn our attention to photographing 

 young birds being fed by their parents. This is, of 

 course, no easy task, especially when the bird one 

 wishes to portray is one like the Indigo bird, for 

 the Indigo is not at all of a trusting nature. Man 

 to them is an enemy to be avoided at all hazards. 

 The gift of song together with the beautiful plumage 

 of these small birds has been to them a living curse. 

 Man, instead of being content to enjoy the presence 

 of such ornaments amid their natural surroundings, 

 must needs keep up a continual warfare against 

 the harmless creatures, by catching them in traps, 

 quite regardless of the law, and using them as an 

 article of commerce. Years of such persecution 

 have made them suspicious. Only in very excep- 

 tional instances do we find one that is at all tame. 

 Many times have I tried, and in vain, to secure a 

 photograph of the sitting bird on her nest, while 

 the idea of her feeding her young with the camera in 

 close proximity seemed nothing more nor less than 

 a wild dream. One day, however, by good fortune 

 I met with a family of Indigo birds that would 

 pose for me. The young, usually extremely wild, 

 were perfectly well behaved and remained where- 

 ever I chose to place them, but of the parents 



