A Woodcock at Home 



By E. G. TABOR 



With photographs from nature by the author 



FOR some time it has been the 

 desire of the writer to make 

 photographs of the bird, nest 

 and eggs of the American Wood- 

 cock. Consequently, when a friend 

 wrote me that he had found a nest 

 containing four eggs I was more 

 than pleased, and Tuesday, May 17, 

 1904, found me on the ground 

 armed with my ' Premo ' and a good 

 supply of Seed's fastest plates. 



The nest was situated in a 

 swampy corner of a field planted 

 with corn, only six feet from the 

 open, on a slightly raised portion of 

 the ground. This corner was over- 

 grown with black ash, soft maple, 

 tag alders and ferns, mingled with 

 poison ivy and equally poisonous 

 mosquitoes. 



Photograph No. i was taken 

 with single lens, the camera stand- 

 ing in the field ; all the others were 

 made with the regular lens. Photo- 

 graph No. 2 was taken after moving 

 the camera so as to get a side view. 

 Number 3, of the nest and eggs, I 

 obtained next, but not until I had 

 touched the bird twice with my 

 hand to flush her ofif the nest; and, 

 wishing her the best of success in her strenuous duties, I then went away 

 from the place. Returning on Friday, May 20, just to see how matters 

 were progressing, I was delighted to find awaiting me what you discover in 

 photograph No. 4. I then withdrew, and two hours later I approached the 

 nest again, only to find that all the young had left it. I tried to locate them, 

 and, although I crawled all over the patch and looked in every nook and 

 corner, behind and under every leaf and bush, I was unable to find the par- 

 ent or the young. Quite disappointed, 1 went out of the place to a fence- 



(149) 



No. ?. WOODCOCKS NEST ANU 



