AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGY 



Young Jays. 



Photo by C. A. Reed 



The Jay, whose picture is shown, allowed me to place my camera within 

 six feet of her nest the second time I visited her, without concealment of any 

 sort, and would return as soon as I went away and allowed me to take her 

 picture if I did it by a string led behind a fence. Gradually I moved the 

 camera until I had it as near as the lens would work, less than three feet 

 from her nest, and I wondered at the mother love that brought her back to 

 her babies with that great (to her) red and black object staring into her 

 nest, and so very close. Yet more, she allowed me to come up to the 

 camera and make a bulb exposure, though her eye sparkled and it was clear 

 that mother love and fear were working hard for mastery. 



The shutter clicked, yet she did not fly and remained while I changed the 

 plate and reset the shutter, and wishing to see how far I could go, I reached 

 out and touched the limb against which her nest was built, and made the ex- 

 posure with the other hand. 



Neither did she leave now and I took down the camera and left her with 

 her babies, richer in the memories of one of nature's secrets, and happy that 

 I could transform part of that home scene to paper so that others might get 

 a glimpse of this brave bird, who was willing to risk death that she might 

 protect her young, and trust it will induce someone to say a kindly word for 

 this beautiful bird that is so often persecuted. 



Wilbur F. Smith. 



