102 WILD LIFE IN THE TREE TOPS 



They invariably approached it by flying within a few feet of the ground 

 until close to its foot, and then swinging suddenly up and on to some convenient 

 branch. And they would leave it in a manner characteristic of Crows — ^that 

 is by literally dropping from the side of the nest until within a short distance 

 of the ground, and going away with wing tips almost brushing the turf. 



So the size of the dummy camera was daily increased until, at last, the 

 thing was so bulky as to suggest a canvas bolster lodged in the tree. And of 

 this the Crows, having overcome their first feelings of suspicion, ultimately 

 took not the least notice. On the 6th of June it was decided that an attempt 

 should be made to secure some photographs of the ' home life of the Crow.' 



And as we approached the place on the morning of the fateful day, we were 

 delighted to see that both of the Crows were making frequent and confident 

 visits to their young, in spite of the fact that a piece of loose sacking hung 

 from the dummy camera and flapped idly in the breeze. 



Really things looked most promising — perhaps after all the Crow would 

 not be so difficult a bird to outwit. So we silently thought as we trudged 

 towards the roAV of elms, and at length laid our impedimenta at the foot of the 

 tree. 



As usual I carried the camera up with m^ — also the little platform for it — 

 and the ball of string ; and again, as usual, things for a while went hopelessly 

 wrong. When I attempted to drop the ball of string, it caught in a branch 

 half-way down the tree, which necessitated my climbing down to set it 

 free ; then having at last fixed the camera, I found that a projecting branch 

 prevented the focusing arrangements from working properly, and lastly the 

 screws which I had brought for the purpose of fixing the platform in position 

 were too short, and refused to hold in the wood until the whole thing had been 

 taken down, and the bark pared off. 



But at last everything seemed to be in readiness, the Crow's nest was 

 focused, and the string arranged as in the case of the Spotted Woodpecker, 

 through a series of ' screw-eyes ' to the hiding-place ; which in the meantime my 

 companion had constructed. 



It was in every way but one an excellent hide — very much like the worst 

 type of dug-out— its one drawback being that it was not nearly large enough to 

 conveniently hold a human being — and since my companion was an enormous 

 man, it seemed strange that he should not have made it on a larger scale. 



However, that the Crows, wherever they might settle, could never see 

 into its interior was a very distinct advantage, as was the fact that from the 

 inside of it an excellent view of the nest could be obtained. 



Past experiences have convinced me that more than two people are really 

 necessary on a Crow photography expedition, at least where there is no cover, 

 for the Crow, who of course watches everything from afar, is not satisfied if, 

 having seen two people approach a place, he sees only one go away from it. 



