i8 WILD NATURE'S WAYS. 



was near enough to secure the advantage of 

 attacking them whilst in their dark, subterranean 

 quarters, so focussed a matchbox placed on the 

 top of the stone to represent the body of a bird, 

 put a plate in, and the sheep over the camera. 

 Partly on account of the peculiar configuration 

 of the ground, and partly because I knew I was 

 dealing with a bolder species, the hiding tent 

 was erected much closer than before. 



The male wheatear came along almost directly 

 I had completed my arrangements, with a fine 

 fat caterpillar in his bill, and was photographed 

 in serious contemplation of the strangest wool- 

 bearing animal he had ever seen. My reap- 

 pearance to attend to the camera sent him 

 off in a great state of alarm, and taking up his 

 station on the highest part of an old tumble- 

 down stone wall not far away, he chack chacked 

 angrily at me for a few minutes, and then, 

 becoming tired of that unprofitable occupation, 

 swallowed his caterpillar, and flew off in search of 

 more. 



The female came along quite boldly, and 

 before I had time to fire off my focal plane shutter 

 upon her she had slipped down from the stone, 

 and the next thing I became aware of was the 

 rapturous chissicking of her young in the hole 

 below. She had completed her errand. 



The male soon came along again with another 



