58 HOMING WITH THE BIRDS 



such as locusts, Katy-dids, dragon flies, crickets, 

 and the hke, combined with beautiful flower and 

 landscape pictures, were the origin of another 

 nature book, "Music of the Wild." I can truth- 

 fully say that with the exception of the months 

 of May and June of one season, when I gave all 

 of my time to moths, the real object of all field 

 work I ever have done has been to bring from the 

 deep forest, the woods pastures, the open fields, 

 the swamps, meadows, orchards, and gardens, 

 characteristic natural history reproductions of 

 living birds. I have always reproduced each nest 

 in its own environment exactly as the birds placed 

 it, keeping the surroundings natural with the possi- 

 ble exception of tying back a branch here and there 

 to allow sufiicient light for pictures of action, such 

 branches being released and restored to their former 

 positions the moment the exposures were made. 

 In securing thousands of negatives afield, I have 

 resorted to every device my ingenuity could con- 

 jure up without the slightest regard to the amount 

 of time, expense, or physical exertion that was 

 required on my part. The one thing I never have 

 done is to cut down a nest or in any way interfere 

 with the home life of the birds, but gradually and 

 with the greatest caution I have insinuated myself 

 and my cameras into the birds' immediate sur- 

 roundings. 



One of the most interesting oriole pictures I ever 

 made was taken by lashing two long, painter's 



