150 Photography for the Sportsman Naturalist 



very few birds will return to a nest that has once 

 been removed from the spot in which they built 

 it, although it may be replaced, with the greatest 

 care, in the original site. 



In arranging the eggs, too, when such arrange- 

 ment is necessary, care should be taken to put 

 them in the same position as they were left by the 

 bird. The position in which an egg lies often 

 counts for much, as, for instance, in pointed eggs 

 the small ends are always together, never pointing 

 outward. 



It is permissible, and sometimes even desirable, 

 to introduce some accessories to the picture by 

 placing objects near the nests that were not origi- 

 nally there. These objects should never be incon- 

 gruous, however, with the other surroundings, and 

 should only be placed there to illustrate some 

 point. Thus, I have often placed some flower 

 near a nest to show that that flower was in bloom 

 at the time the nest was built, but it must always 

 be some flower that is found blooming in the 

 immediate proximity of the nesting site. This 

 also serves to give an idea of the locality in which 

 a nest is found, as the wild raspberry bloom near 

 the nest of a hooded warbler or indigo bunting, 

 for both of these birds are partial to this plant as 

 a nesting site ; or the false hellebore, placed near 

 the nest of a Wilson's thrush, as both flower and 

 nest are found in low, swampy places. An old 



