2 BIKi) STUDIES WITH A CAMKRA 



stalks, rootlets, etc., lined with finer materials," we 

 have a faithful delineation of the nest itself. The 

 shai)e and pattern of markings of the eggs may also 

 be well shown with the camera, while the api)ear- 

 ance of the young at hirth, their development, and 

 often the manner in which they are fed, may all be 

 l)ortrayed by the camera with a realism which con- 

 vinces one of the truthfulness of the result. 



By the exercise of much patience and ingenuity 

 we may also photograph the adult bird, showing it 

 at rest or in motion, brooding its eggs or caring for 

 its young. Under favorable conditions such jiic- 

 tures may x'"ysess an exactness of detail which 

 makes them perfect representations of tlie original, 

 giving not alone position and expression, but the 

 arrangement of the feathers, and they thou have 

 scientific value unequaled by the best jjrdductions 

 of the artist's brush or iiencil. 



From the nature of the case, perfection in this 

 l)rancli of bird photngraphy is not always attained; 

 nevertheless, even ])ictures which are failures from 

 a ])hotograpliic standpoint may be of interest to 

 the naturalist. They may be lacking in detail and 

 still give jiose, thus furnishing models from Avhicli 

 drawings containing all structural essentials may 

 be made. 



The camera may also sui)i)ly us with graphic 

 records of the few large colonies of birds y(>t exist- 

 ing in this country, thereby preserving f(n' all time 

 deiinit(3 im])rrssiuns of cDuditions which are rapidly 

 becoming things of the past. 



Wliat an invaluable addiiioii to the history of 

 the Great Auk would be a series of ]>hotogra,p]is 



