BIRDS AND THE CAMERA 71 



As a rule, when young birds are discovered 

 shortly after they have left the nest, they first of 

 all sit absolutely still with beak pointed upwards, 

 and think themselves unseen. As soon, however, 

 as they know they have been detected, they drop 

 down among the leaves and undergrowth and are 

 instantly lost to view. My little friend followed 

 no such line of action. The moment I placed my 

 finger near him, he hopped on to it in a most 

 confiding manner. He seemed quite tame and 

 rather tired, and I imagined he had been having 

 his first lesson in flying and was therefore exhausted. 

 Whatever may have been the cause 1 know not, 

 but it was not very long before he nestled himself 

 down, and gradually closing his eyes, went fast 

 asleep, quite regardless of his strange perch. In 

 this way he remained until a call from one of his 

 parents awakened him ; he carefully stretched his 

 small self and then looked about him, with an 

 expression of " Where am I ? " 



Fearing lest he should become too lively, I 

 replaced him on his natural perch and made ready 

 the camera. His wakefulness was, however, only 

 temporary, and before I had made a third exposure 

 he was fast asleep again. So I left the sleeping atom 

 to be watched over by those who, for but a few 

 short weeks, would be his instructors and guardians, 

 and went to pay a visit to an ovenbird whose beauti- 

 ful dome-shaped nest was hidden among the dead 

 leaves in the woods near by. She was at home 

 when I called, so I decided to photograph her. 

 Unfortunately the roof of the arched nest cut off 

 the light so that under existing circumstances a 



