406 



RECREATION. 



the nest of a woodcock and see it slanting 

 the way Mr. Gosney's picture shows it? 

 His photo looks as if he was right up on 

 tne bird." 



I was. 



Mr. Greenhawk further says, "Would 

 that bird stay while .vir. Gosney got his 

 camera in order? Birds are sensitive about 

 being approached." 



No, I never approached the nest of a 

 woodcock and found it quite so slanting as 

 my photo shows it. To a certain extent I 

 am acquainted with the habits of a few of 

 our wild birds, although not an authority. 

 A friend of mine, Mr. Charles Saville, came 

 to me the day before I secured the photo 

 of the bird, said he had found a woodcock's 

 nest, and for me to get my camera and 

 come along. Of course I went. Mr. Saville 

 approached the woodcock's nest carefully 

 so as not to disturb her. That was about 

 4.30 p. m., and she had gone to feed. I set 

 up my camera, about 8 to 10 feet from her 

 nest. I focussed •carefully and made the 

 exposure on the nest alone. Before I fold- 

 ed my tripod and camera I took notes on 

 how far tripod legs were spread, position 

 of camera, scale in feet as shown on front 

 board of camera, besides driving 3 small 

 pegs where tripod legs stood. The next 

 morning I went to the nest alone, moving 

 carefully. I was rewarded by finding Mrs. 

 Woodcock at home. My camera was al- 

 ready set on tripod, shutter ready, plate 

 holder entered and slide drawn, bellows ex- 

 tended to scale according to my notes the 

 day before. All that was necessary was 

 to put tripod legs to the 3 small pegs and 

 I was ready for exposure. I paid no atten- 

 tion to the bird till I took hold of the 

 bulb to release the shutter. Then I looked 

 down on her and was in the act of re- 

 leasing the shutter when she arose from 

 nest, her feathers all awry. She shuffled 

 lazily around to back of her nest, then like 

 a flash turned facing it, her head turned 

 somewhat to one side. Thus she remained, 

 like stone, watching her eggs, I can not 

 sav how long. I gave her 4 seconds' ex- 

 posure. Then I picked up my camera and 

 retreated slowly. The bird made a cluck- 

 ing noise, like an old setting hen, while she 

 shuffled around to back of her nest. One 

 wing hung down, as if injured, but when 

 the photo was taken her wing and feathers 

 lay in their normal position. 



The day Mr. Saville discovered the nest 

 he put a small stick under the bird's breast 

 to raise her so he could see her eggs. At 

 that time she also showed the disposition 

 of a setting hen. 



If you wish, I can send you the names 

 of 50 people who at different times saw 

 'this mother woodcock at home. The rea- 

 son the nest seems so slanting in the 

 g?hoto is because 1 wanted a panel view 



and the position of camera and tripod gave 



it the appearance of being slanted. It is 

 possible to approach nearer a woodcock's 

 nest during nesting time than it would be 

 to the nest of a quail, a prairie chicken, 

 wild duck, snipe, etc. I claim Mr. Green- 

 hawk is wrong when he says a woodcock 

 flies immmediately on being approached. 



Homer G. Gosney. 



UNCLE JOSH EOTOGRAPHS THE CALF. 



When the summer gal was down here 

 with her kodax, I had a brindle calf down 

 in th' medder. He wuz mainly noted fer 

 th' length uv his legs, an' th' wobbly way 

 he used 'em; he wuz uv th' masculine 

 gender. 



Thet calf wuz jist old 'nuf tu be ram- 

 bunkshus. Th' summer gal wuz deter- 

 mined tu take a picture u/ thet calf, but 

 th' dodgasted calf wouldn't hold still fer 

 her tu git a fokus on him. 



Well, one day she axed me wouldn't I 

 hoi' th' calf fer her; she sed she wuz mak- 

 in' son- studies in "still life." 



I guess she didn't find much still life in 

 thet blamed calf. 



I kinder hesitated, fer I know'd what 

 kind uv a critter he wuz, but she wuz a 

 mighty purty gal, an' when she made them 

 hoo-doo eyes at me what could I do? 



Well, after wrastlin him all over a 10 

 acre lot I got thet calf cornered an' got 

 a close line tied 'round his neck tu hold him 

 with. 



He didn't seem anxious tu be took, but 

 with some stratigem and a liberal applica- 

 tion of cowhide boot I finally got him in 

 a "proper pose," as th' gal called it. 



She sed she wanted tu get th' tail in th' 

 picture, and I didn't see how she could help 

 it fer thet calf had his tail stickin' straight 

 up in the air like a sore thum' all the time 

 she wuz takin' him. 



I begin to think that things wuz goin' 

 to go off first rate, but I begin to feel happy 

 too soon. 



Jist as th' gal got us placed right, and 

 had got a good fokus on the kodax, a feller 

 come whizzin' past in one uv them naughty 

 mobiles with the steam puffin' out behind. 



Well scat my , yer otter see that calf 



go. He started fer th' other side uv th' 

 medder like a streak uv greesed litnin' an* 

 he tuk me along part uv th' way with him. 

 Yer see th' long end uv th' close line had 

 got tangled round my laigs an' when he 

 started off so suddent like it jerked me 

 ofen my feet an' drug me along th' ground 

 till th' rope broke an' saved my life. 



As I wuz a skootin' over th' ground my 

 janes pance caught on a root er sompthin 

 an' gol darn if they didn't rip from Genesis 

 tu Revelations. 



I guess I'd a swore if it hedn't bin fer 

 thet summer gals 



