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The Outing Magazine 
at a time. Before the work was finished 
I became much attached to the little ones, 
and wished that it were not impracticable 
to take some of them home with me. At 
this time we found no unhatched eggs, 
. though many grim evidences of tragedies 
— die suspended bodies of the young hang- 
ing by the necks, with the heads caught in 
the crotches of the trees, a monument to 
over-zealous ambition. 
When we had finished with our subjects, 
we placed them upon some of the lower 
limbs below their nests, and they lost little 
time in seeking their familiar quarters. 
It might be interesting to know how I 
began the training so they would pose. 
This 1 did by placing their feet on a limb 
already chosen, and held them in that posi- 
tion for a little while, then released my 
hold very gently. This had to be repeated 
a number of times, until finally they ceased 
to struggle. When they learned that they 
could sit quietly without danger, they took 
very readily to the new conditions. 
We experienced some difficulty, owing to 
the very soft and spongy ground, in adjust- 
ing the camera, and I would suggest to those 
attempting a like feat to provide them- 
selves with some small, light boards, just 
large enough to answer for the legs of the 
tripod to rest on and yet broad enough to 
prevent the legs from settling down into 
the swamp. Of course, the exposures wer 2 
generally long, the place being much shad- 
owed by trees. 
Each year, regularly, this colony of great 
black-crowned night herons appears and 
monopolizes completely their section of the 
swamp. 
The nearest feeding ground is the salt- 
water creeks near the old town of Ipswich, 
Massachusetts, five miles from the rookery. 
Their diet is mainly small fish, caught by 
standing perfectly motionless on the flats 
in a few inches of water, watching keenly, 
without turning the head, for some luck- 
less fish who may come within catching 
distance. One quick dart, and it is over; 
and our friend, the heron, assumes the same 
statuelike pose — he is indeed a most pa- 
tient fisherman. 
Now, a word to the amateur who may 
pay a visit to a heron rookery. First, let 
me impress upon the mind that one must 
undergo some few hardships; yet, if you 
enjoy nature, you will be surprised with 
the amount of pleasure you will derive 
from your experiences. Attention to a few 
important details, and your trip should be 
successful. Wear old clothes; such ones 
as you can throw away when your work is 
completed, for it is more than likely that 
you will wish to. Rubber boots will usual- 
ly be found desirable; some long, stout cord 
and an old soft hat, or something equiva- 
lent, for lowering eggs and young. 
One should be a good climber, though 
that might be overcome by the use of a pair 
of lineman’s climbers. If one is desirous 
of doing much of this work, it would be 
much better to have a pair made for one. 
This can be done at a slight cost, having 
the spurs longer so that they will penetrate 
through the bark and imbed firmly in the 
solid wood, thus saving a fall when the bark 
gives away. If the spurs are placed at the 
instep, and slightly under, with the spurs 
inward and downward, you need not fear 
the tallest tree. 
Concerning the camera, by all means use 
one with which you can focus on your ob- 
ject carefully, without guessing. The size 
is a personal matter, although the large 
plate is a great advantage. 
1 can especially recommend this branch 
of photography to amateurs, feeling sure 
that they will find it interesting sport. By 
using care in focusing, good judgment in 
giving the proper length of exposure and 
exercising plenty of patience with your 
subject, who seems unduly modest about 
publicity, striking results can be obtained 
— ample to repay you fully for the trials 
and hardships endured. 
I 
