14 



BIRDS IN THEIR RELATIONS TO MAN. 



where a tent can be placed beside it. In that case locate the 

 tent in a good place as near by as may be, and then cut off 

 the branch, fasten it strongly to a support by cords or screws, 

 and by degrees move it to a place beside the tent. 



When it is not necessary to remove the nest, the tent may 

 be pitched as early as the day of hatching, in most cases at 

 least, without fear of causing the old birds to desert. But when 

 the nest has to be moved, unless the degrees of progress are 

 made very short, there is danger of desertion if the moving is 

 undertaken before the young are well covered with starting 

 pinfeathers. Then they are able to move about and usually 



OUTFIT FOR PHOTOGRAPHING BIRDS IN NEST. 



to make sounds that attract the parent birds. At that time 

 also parental devotion is at its full strength, and the old birds 

 are willing to face dangers that they would not otherwise 

 encounter. 1 



Where a nest is to be moved and there is not much danger 

 of being bothered by prowling boys, we usually employ a 

 fairly good-sized tent, as it gives the observer a chance to 

 change his position without giving external evidence of it. 



1 This method of controlling the nest and using a tent for concealment 

 was first described in "The Home Life of Wild Birds," by Professor F. 

 H. Herrick, which see. 



