HUNTING BIRDS WITH A CAMERA 



189 



A MEXICAN GROUND DOVU DEl'EXDIXG HER HOME 



While a Dove is a shy and gentle bird, here is a case where the mother raised her wings and 

 slapped the intruding finger whenever it came near her home. 



Yellow-head lit on the tules just a few 

 feet ahead. He began like the peeping of 

 a young Duck, but, as his tail spread and 

 his throat swelled, his song grew more 

 violent, till it ended with a contortion like 

 the complaint of an old sitting hen when 

 she is disturbed. Some one has given 

 this human interpretation to the song, 

 which should be drawled out slowly : 

 "Pop! goes the weasel." 



As I edged silently along close to the 

 reeds, I came to a turtle lying asleep on 

 a water-soaked log. He didn't see me till 

 I touched him on the back ; then he awoke 

 with a start and slid into the water. Once 

 or twice I saw a snake glide away among 

 the tules. 



All the time I had been coming nearer 

 to a place where a Bittern was pumping. 

 He was a ventriloquist, for when I 

 thought he was 20 feet away, I still 

 sneaked 50 feet nearer. "Punk-a-lunk ! 

 Punk-a-lunk !" he said, but this pumping 

 was only the end of the call. The be- 

 ginning was a "blub, blul)," like water 

 bubbling down into a big empty cask. 



As I pulled inyself along by the over- 



hanging tules, suddenly I was face to face 

 with the Bittern, and up he flapped with a 

 frightened "quork." 



At the next bend in the river I waded 

 out through two feet of water to a small 

 grassy island in the midst of the swamp. 

 I was sure I would find Ducks' nests in 

 a place like this, but a Duck's nest is not 

 easy to find. 



I had been wandering around for some 

 little time, wondering why I could not find 

 a nest, when suddenly a female Mallard 

 flushed from between my feet. I had 

 straddled a nest of 10 eggs before the 

 mother flapped off lamely through the 

 grass. I was surprised at the boldness 

 with which she froze to the nest. It is a 

 common trait. Twice during the morning 

 I planted my feet within a few inches of 

 a brooding Duck before she left her home. 



Ducks are loath to reveal the location 

 of their nests, but after the eggs are once 

 discovered they become wilder, generally 

 flying as one approaches within 15 or 20 

 feet. 



The next day we started out again 

 down the river. In the afternoon a bank 



