PHOTOGRAPHING THE CROW 101 



artistic tendencies or birds that wished to be reminded during their inactive 

 hours, of past feasts. For the foundations were largely composed of the bones 

 of departed birds and animals. One of them included the vertebrae of two 

 rabbits, together with the skulls, which had become disconnected ; the greater 

 part of two moorhens' skeletons, with the flight feathers still intact; the remains 

 of several pheasants, including the breast bones and spurs ; and a few bones of 

 a red-legged partridge. In addition to this collection were quantities of the 

 string which is used for tying sheep gates together, some cigarette packets, 

 and what was once a lady's handkerchief. An accompanying photograph of 

 some of the materials used in the construction of the other nest suggests that 

 the Crows were of a somewhat literary turn of mind, or that they liked to see 

 the dull monotony of the home relieved by touches of a lighter shade. 



The Crow's nest which we selected for photographic purposes from the 

 many that we discovered in the district, was built in the upper branches of 

 one of a row of elm-trees, overlooking the marshes on one side, and a wide 

 expanse of arable land which stretched away to the uplands on the other, so 

 that to approach unseen to within less than half a mile of the place was impos- 

 sible. It might at first seem strange that a nest in such a situation should 

 have been chosen, particularly as the height at which it was built made an 

 unusual amount of climbing necessary. But it was selected for two reasons : 

 firstly, because it was eminently satisfactorily placed from the pictorial point 

 of view incidentally a most important reason ; and secondly because it was 

 in a position, and at an elevation, that could not be reached by the ordinary 

 school, or farm, boy. 



When the first stage of the ' imitation camera,' consisting of a small piece 

 of sacking camouflaged with leaves, was first tied in position, the Crows really 

 seemed as though they had no further interest in their nest, for, although they 

 sat composedly on the topmost branch of a dead elm close by, they never 

 even glanced in its direction. 



From behind a hedge some half-mile away we watched them through 

 glasses, and as we had fully expected to see them go on to the nest at the end 

 of, say, half an hour, we felt somewhat disappointed when, at the end of an 

 hour and a half, they were still amusing themselves on the top of the dead elm ! 

 As the sacking which had been left in position was not larger than an 

 ordinary cap rolled up, and was well garnished with elm leaves, we felt dubious 

 as to whether we should ever succeed in getting a photograph and then 

 the awful fear occurred to us, that the leaves on the roll of sacking would 

 wither before the Crow found courage to return to the nest, and thus make 

 the cause of her fears more trap-like than ever. 



However, on our next visit the Crows seemed to be quite reconciled to 

 the strange innovation, and from a distance we watched them going to and 

 from the nest. 



