Notes from Field and Study 



267 



PEARS EATEN BY STARLINGS 



and, as a matter of fact, when the ex- 

 posure was made, I could not have been 

 five feet from my subiect. It is no wonder 

 then that the negative, upon develop- 

 ment, showed only a gigantic splash and 

 no Loon. 



The experience gained from our first 

 attempt, together with good luck, enabled 

 us, in our second, to secure a picture, 

 which, considering the subject, might be 

 called a success. We employed the same 

 tactics as before, except that we kept 

 further out from the shore, and, having 

 gained respect for the old fellow's rapidity 

 of motion, set the shutter speed at one 

 hundred and twenty-fifth of a seconti. 

 This time, the Loon, when we started 

 him, did not immediately dive into the 

 water, but skirted the shore for a few 

 feet, and, in so doing, gave me a better 

 opportunity to expose my film at the 

 right moment. How well I succeeded 

 may be judged by looking at the picture 

 itself. 



I afterward attempted to photograph 

 the Loon on the nest by means of a set 

 camera, but was unsuccessful. The 

 camera may not have been hidden skil- 

 fully enough to deceive so wary a bird as 

 the Great Northern Diver. But another 

 reason for my failure has been suggested 

 to me by hearing the guides declare that 

 in hot weather the Loon often leaves her 

 nest for a long time, relying upon the hot 



sun to keep the eggs warm. I am inclined 

 to doubt this, and think that ihe cause of 

 my not getting the picture was due 10 the 

 extreme shyness of the bird. — John S. 

 Perry, Troy, N. Y. 



The Starling Eats Pears • 



In the early morning of October 17, 

 1907, the pleasing notes of Starlings were 

 heard in a large pear tree close to the 

 window of my home at New Brighton, 

 Staten Island. I looked out cautiously 

 and saw three Starlings engaged in eating 

 the ripe pears. They were very noisy 

 about it, and each seemed to think that 

 the pears being devoured by the other two 

 were better than its own, and they accord- 

 ingly changed places several times. In a 

 few minutes a large portion of each pear 

 had been devoured, and the Starlings flew 

 away. All the time they were busy, several 

 House Sparrows sat within a foot or two, 

 looking on, and, as on previous occasions, 

 I observed that they had no fear of the 

 Starlings. However, they knew better 

 than to molest these comparatively new 

 comers, and seem to be treated with indif- 

 ference by the Starlings. 



When the birds were gone, I climbed 

 the tree and procured two of the pears, 

 and it will be seen from the photograph 

 that they were quite destroyed. Under the 

 tree I found two other pears that had evi- 



