MAY 117 



only in depicting the birds, but in recording their 

 movements in the various scenes of their domestic 

 drama. The difficulties to be overcome were most 

 perplexing, especially when birds had to be depicted 

 in the intimate action of feeding their young, for the 

 slightest noise would alarm the actors and interrupt 

 the action. Such living pictures have to be taken at 

 short range; it was necessary, therefore, not only to 

 conceal the operator in close proximity to the nest, 

 but also to bury the instrument, which makes a con- 

 siderable noise, in a box with thick packing. 



The results obtained are truly surprising. A nest, 

 say, of song thrushes, sedge warblers, or spotted fly- 

 catchers, is shown full of sleeping nestlings. Arrives 

 a parent bird, with its mouth full of dainties ; up go 

 all the little heads, with beaks wide agape. The 

 parent distributes the food with perfect impartiality ; if 

 there is not enough to go round, the other parent 

 arrives presently on the other side of the nest and 

 remedies any inequality in rations. Perhaps the 

 most remarkable group exhibited was the nest of a 

 sparrow hawk, with the parent bird tearing up the 

 carcass of her prey, and giving the shreds of meat to 

 her young, but even that scene, although more stirring, 

 was not more interesting than the pretty action of the 

 mother sedge warbler, who, after she and her mate had 

 fed the nestlings, ruffled her feathers and brooded 

 upon the little things in the most endearing manner 

 before flying off to gather fresh supplies. Another 

 remarkable and instructive feature in each scene was 

 the scrupulous sanitary precautions taken by the 



