1 82 Photography for the Sportsman Naturalist 



I have mentioned these two methods of photo- 

 graphing the birds simply because they are 

 methods that are used by some of the bird pho- 

 tographers, not because I advocate their use. I 

 have never taken a picture of a bird in captivity, 

 except of some of the larger water-birds in the 

 Zoos, and I cannot think that as good results are 

 thus obtained as by photographing them in their 

 native haunts. 



Of course, to photograph an old wild bird pre- 

 sents great difficulties, but I have shown how it can 

 be done with their young, and there are many ways 

 in which single pictures of them can be obtained. 

 In going to and from her young when feeding 

 them, a bird usually has some resting point upon 

 which she perches more often than elsewhere. 

 By watching her while she is making three or four 

 trips we can learn where this point is, and by 

 focussing upon it we are often enabled to obtain 

 characteristic and satisfactory pictures of the old 

 bird alone. 



Mr. F. M. Chapman, who has done some very 

 clever bird photography, says he has had some ex- 

 cellent opportunities to photograph by decoying 

 the birds by means of a mounted screech owl. 

 As I have never tried this I cannot speak from 

 experience and will quote what he says : " My 

 plan is to select some spot where birds are numer- 

 ous, preferably near the home of a catbird, place 



