50 BIRD STUDIES WITH A CAMERA 
so active were the little creatures that not one of 
many exposures proved to be perfectly focused. 
Finally I tried decoying the birds to a bone or bit 
of bread in the bushes, but somehow they did not 
25. Chickadee taking piece of bread. 
succeed in discovering these baits until they were 
placed on the ground.» *” Then they responded so 
quickly that often the bread had disappeared while 
my head was concealed by the dark-cloth, and fre- 
quently, while focusing, the birds would alight on 
the tripod of the camera. I was forced, there- 
fore, to focus on a stone, and, when ready to make 
the exposure, lay a bit of bread on or near the 
focal point, the two pictures given being thus ob- 
tained. 
Various experiences with these unusually tame 
birds finally led to what at first thought would have 
been considered the wholly unreasonable ambition 
of photographing one of them in my hand. The 
camera was therefore erected at a suitable point and 
