BIRDS. 75 



made a number of photographic studies, one of 

 which is herewith reproduced, and is, we believe, 

 the first mechanical picture ever secured of a 

 perfectly wild lark at her nest. 



Seeing a pair of starlings entering and leaving 

 a hole in which they had their nest, containing a 

 brood of young ones, in the thatch of a hayrick, 

 we borrowed an old tumbril from the farmer 

 upon whose property we happened to be at the 

 time, and placing our artificial rubbish-heap inside 

 it, wheeled it close up to the side of the rick, 

 as shown on page 15. My brother got inside his 

 hiding-place with his camera, and standing on the 

 wheel nearest to the rick, I placed my hand 

 where the birds alighted, and he focussed it and 

 awaited their return. It was not long before one 

 of them came back with a supply of food. I 

 expected a long, wary, screeching reconnoitre of 

 the greatly altered aspect of affairs ; for a starling, 

 although a bold bird, is an extremely cautious 

 one, and will not go to her nest for hours 

 together if she suspects anything wrong. But 

 apparently our device was such a natural bit of 

 farmyard property, that they never suspected it to 

 contain anything in the shape of a man and a 

 camera, and went about their business in the most 

 unconcerned fashion. The male took his share 

 of the work right manfully in this instance, and, of 

 course, gave us an opportunity of making a photo- 

 graph of him as well as of his companion. 



