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Bird- Lore 



more light upon this interesting subject, I set the camera upon the shortened 

 tripod, decked it with foliage, attached a thread, set the shutter for an exposure 

 of one second, and retired awhile. The birds soon stopped their scolding, so I 

 quietly returned and discovered that the male bird was again on the nest. I pulled 

 the thread, and was glad to see that my subject did not move. He even allowed 

 me to creep up behind the camera, change plates and make exposures by hand. 

 But when I tried to push the camera nearer, he beat a retreat. It was now getting 



MALE BROWN THRASHER DEFENDING NEST 



too dark for further work that day, so I put back the bushes in order and pro- 

 ceeded homeward. 



Owing to trips away and rainy weather, it was not till four days later, June 22, 

 that I was able to resume the work, this time with a reflecting camera. Again 

 I found the male on duty. He slipped off, as before, and again I opened the 

 bushes, and then, very innocently, put out my hand to the nest to remove an 

 obstructing leaf. I was so surprised and startled that I almost fell over backwards 

 when instantly the male Thrasher dashed from the shrubbery behind the nest and 

 struck the offending hand a stinging blow. Instantly, he withdrew again and took 

 his station behind the nest, waiting to see what I would do. As I was not looking 

 for a fight, but for pictures, I stepped back a bit and squatted, waiting for the 



