60 Bird Life Through the Camera. 
evening, and lowered some three feet each time till at length 
it was only some nine feet from the ground, so far so good, 
our next step was to plant the hiding tent, and here we 
were favoured by a large clump of brambles, wfiich later en- 
tirely hid the tent from view, although from time to time we 
added to its covering, owing to withering of the leaves. 
From the little peep-hole in the tent the old birds 
could be plainly seen, and no one who has not watched these 
lovely little hawks flying on the nest, and feeding their young 
at only a distance of six feet, without the slightest fear or 
knowledge that they were being watched, could credit the 
pleasure and excitement in this form of sport and bird study. 
The first time the bird came to the nest after T was 
hidden I could hear my heart thumping with excitement, feel- 
ing so pleased to have got at such close range that I nearly- 
forgot to make the exposure of my plate. 
During the five days' observations from the tent, the 
parents brought only three birds (two larks, and a thrush), 
all the other food consisted of mice and small rats, and these, 
the old birds would tear up and feed their young with ; re- 
maining about three minutes on the nest, and visiting it every 
one or two hours. 
The noise the old birds made, just before pitching on 
the nest, was deafening, they generally circled round once or 
twice, calling, and the young would answer with a shriller 
cry, then the cock or hen would drop down on the nest with 
perhaps a young rat, which was greedily devoured, bones 
and all. 
There was one pathetic note, in spite of the only too 
apparent joy, amongst these strenuous denizens of the woods 
and fields, for amongst their number was one very much 
smaller than the rest, and although he was always first to 
hear the call of the old birds and push to the front of the 
nest, by the time the food was being handed round he wasn't 
in the picture, except as a back-ground, being pushed there 
time after time by his brethren, each day he became 
weaker and one morning was found missing, no doubt having 
formed a meal for his canabalistic brothers and sisters — truly 
the weakest to the wall. 
