20 AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGY. 



front of the nest and with the lens about two feet from it. The whole 

 outfit was then covered with a green cloth and plentifully sprinkled 

 with leaves and branches, so as to attract as little attention as possible, 

 although probably the bird thought that it was very conspicuous. I 

 have often wondered that they dared to return to their nest when any 

 such contrivance was placed before it. They prove that they have a 

 large amocnt of courage and I doubt, were we placed in the same po- 

 sition, if we would ever return to our homes. After having affairs ar- 

 ranged to my satisfaction, I retired as far as the tubing would allow 

 and, concealing myself as best I could, waited. 



The trees about me were very tall and the sun came through the 

 dense foliage in only one large patch, from an opening nearly over the 

 nest and a little to the southward, thus allowing the sun to shine direct- 

 ly on the nest from about nine o'clock in the morning until two. After 

 waiting about an hour without seeing a sign of either of the birds, I 

 began to fear that unless they returned very soon the eggs would be 

 baked by the extreme heat of the sun, so I arranged a blackberry 

 branch, that had previously shaded the nest, so that with a thread I 

 could very gradually draw it to one side when the birds returned, and 

 allow it to furnish shelter to the eggs, when they were absent. Both 

 birds would come at times, and after much calling to each other, depart 

 although frequently during these intermittent visits^ my hand would 

 grasp the bulb more firmly, in anticipation of seeing one of them hop 

 to the nest. During their periods of absence, the silence was oppres- 

 sive, the only notes heard being an occasional lisp from the Redstart,, 

 who had a nest in a tree a short distance away, a sharp chirp from the 

 little Chestnut-sided Warbler, whose nest was in the blackberry vines 

 within plain view from where I sat, and the buzzing of numerous 

 mosquitos. And by the way, if these last mentioned had confined their 

 attentions to merely buzzing, their presence would have been more wel- 

 come but as it was I can testify that, although they may not equal the 

 famous Jersey mosquitos in size, their bites were of good quality. 



Just twice during the three days that I was present, while the nest 

 contained eggs, did the owner visit the nest, that is to actually stand 

 upon the edge. On the first negative that I exposed I was unable to 

 find a trace of the bird, but on the next was the one shown here. The 

 day after obtaining this picture, I found that the nest contained young, 

 and the parents were much more anxious than formerly. Not wishing 

 to expose the young to the sun even for a short space of time, I did not 

 attempt to photograph the birds again until the little ones were a week 

 old and commencing to look like feathered birds instead of the naked, 

 helpless mites that they first were. 



