BIRD PHOTOGRAPHY BEGINS AT HOME 45 
teen-inch lens and an exposure of fifteen seconds, is 
here shown.* Telephotos have thus far been under- 
exposed, 
Asa means of making the exposure as soon as 
possible after the Owl appeared, I have on a num- 
ber of occasions placed my camera in position, fo- 
cused and otherwise made ready some minutes 
before he was expected, and I recall with amusement 
the incredulity of a friend whose surprise at seeing 
me point my camera skyward without ostensible 
purpose was in no way lessened when I told him 
that I had an appointment with an Owl, who was to 
take his stand shortly in the hole toward which the 
camera was directed; and fortunately the bird was 
on time! 
From the perch, some forty feet aloft, the grave 
little creature surveys the scene below with an ex- 
pression of combined wisdom and thoughtfulness 
which makes a laugh seem wanton foolishness. At 
the border of dusk and dark he flies out to feed, 
often descending to the ground and remaining there 
for some moments while catching insects. Occa- 
sionally he takes his prey from the tree trunks, per- 
haps a cicada struggling from its shell, and on sev- 
eral occasions I have thought he captured food on 
the wing. Sometimes the supper hunt leads him to 
the edge of the croquet lawn, where from the earth 
or the back of a garden bench he becomes an inter- 
ested spectator of the last game. When the young 
appear, later in the month, the evergreens seem alive 
with Owls, who flit about and utter querulous little 
calls difficult of description. Toward the end of 
July, doubtless after the molt is completed, presum- 
