2l6 WILD NATURE'S WAYS. 



bill. After a wearisome repetition of these nervous 

 tactics, the bird's courage and my hope culminated 

 in her coming through on to the nest. The 

 absence of cover appeared to worry her consider- 

 ably, and she began to drag the rushes and sedge 

 grass that I had parted, over her. Loth to have 

 my chances of a plain, unobscured illustration 

 spoilt, I fired off my focal plane shutter. For 

 a moment the water rail seemed paralysed by 

 the noise, but, quickly recovering herself, vanished 

 like a flash, and did not reappear for an hour 

 and twenty minutes, during which time I was 

 enduring the discomforts of an almost tropical 

 sun overhead. 



Further waiting and stonestill quietness on 

 this and the following day resulted in the acquisi- 

 tion of half a dozen good negatives. 



The great crested grebe is one of the hand- 

 somest and most characteristic birds of Broadland, 

 and, although shy and wary in the extreme, may, 

 by the exercise of great care and the employment 

 of proper means, be studied at close quarters 

 throughout almost every phase of its aquatic life. 



Upon being shown a specimen of this bird's 

 large raft-like nest a year or two ago, I observed 

 that its position afforded opportunities for the 

 making of photographic studies of the grebe at 

 home, if such an accomplishment was possible, 

 and evolved a plan. This was to induce my 



