MY CHICADEE FRIENDS 10.5 



Now it was that my work began. In vain liad 

 I attempted to follow the various courses of the 

 fledgelings, but nature had allowed me only two 

 eyes, a number quite insufficient to keep up with 

 the vagaries of seven Chicadees, young and inex- 

 perienced though they were. There was nothing 

 to do but to institute a long and careful search, a 

 test of patience against instinct, the former gaining 

 the day, for in about an hour I found all of the seven 

 youngsters. It is cvu'ious that, once found, these 

 Chicadees no longer seem to entertain that keen 

 desire to get away which characterises most young 

 birds under similar conditions. On the contrary, 

 they behaved most admirably, being quite content 

 to sit on my hand or on any branch I might select, 

 provided only they were shaded from the fierce 

 glare of the sun ; and just here lay my greatest 

 difficulty, for instantaneous photographs are not 

 made in the shade, and the movement of birds is 

 so rapid that one twenty-fifth of a second is about 

 as much exposure as one may safely indulge in. 

 This means that the subject must be well lighted, 

 a condition which my httle Chicadees thoroughly 

 objected to. If I placed them, one or all, on my 

 knee, and my knee happened to be in the sunlight, 

 without a moment's hesitation they would scramble 

 to the nearest shade, even should it be but a fold in 

 my clothes. 



Both Dee-dee and Chicadee seemed somewhat 

 astonished to see their young ones sitting so com- 

 placently on my knee, and doubtless they wondered 

 what next would happen. So far they had seen no 

 reason to fear me, for I had done them no harm. 



