FIRST ACQUAINTANCE WITH BIRDS 



draw-string will make it fit over the top. Get 

 inside, cut a few vertical observation slits six inches 

 long, and your work is done. Erect this within ten 

 feet of a nest, and leave it alone for a few hours. 

 The birds will quickly get accustomed to it so that 

 later you may go inside and watch at close range 

 without disturbing them in the least. This blind 

 is often used for close bird photography. I have 

 taken pictures of Herring Gulls at a distance of only 

 six feet with the aid of such a blind. If you wish 

 to use it on a windy day it may be stayed by a few 

 guy-lines from the top and sides. 



The foregoing instructions include all the necessary 

 aids to a beginner in bird study who desires to start 

 afield properly equipped. To summarize them, all 

 that is really necessary is a field glass, a notebook for 

 memoranda, inconspicuous clothing, and a desire to 

 listen and learn. 



In the next chapter we shall discuss some of the 

 things to be learned in the study of the life about the 

 nest. 



[19] 



