A SUMMER WITH THE RED-TAILS 37 



Not only were there thirteen guns ready 

 loaded for the time when Father or Mother 

 Red-tail should visit one of the thirteen barn- 

 yards in search of chicken for dinner, but the 

 Naturalist also had a camera loaded for the 

 purpose of getting a likeness of these same 

 birds. Many were the hours spent in patient 

 watching, in order to learn more about the 

 habits of the birds and to get their pictures. 



However, it was not one of the thirteen guns, 

 but the camera in the hands of the Naturalist 

 which finally took Mother Red-tail by sur- 

 prise. She was none 

 the worse for the ex- 

 perience, and the Na- 

 turalist considers her 

 picture as one of his 

 most prized posses- 

 sions. Both birds 

 were so exceedingly 

 shy that it was diffi- 

 cult, indeed, to get 

 within gunshot, to say 

 nothing of camera 

 shot of them. It was 

 a pleasing sight to see 

 the two birds flying 



It was not one of the thirteen guns, but the 



camera in the hands of the Naturalist which 



finally took Mother Red-tail by surprise. 



