3 THE AUD UBCINES ULE RE aN 
so far as I know, to finish 
the meal interrupted by 
the discharge. In this they 
differ from many of the 
mammals. 
I am not sure that 
much can be learned of 
the habits of birds from 
taking pictures in_ this 
way. Yet, every now and 
then a bit of interesting 
life history is recorded. I 
had never known before, 
of my own knowledge, 
that a heron might some 
time be willing to sample 
a dry, dead fish. 
I learned, too, that 
the Blue Jay, always de- 
lighted, when opportunity 
offers, to gorge himself on 
nice, fresh birds’ eggs, 1s 
not above stooping to 
taste a dead mouse. 
I knew the location 
of a fox den and came to 
it one day to find at its 
mouth the foot of a rab- 
bit recently killed. “Vhe 
remaining hours of day- 
light were hastily taken 
advantage of to pick up a camera trap and place it trained on the hole, 
baited with a mouse. ‘The chance for a fox under such circumstances Is 
slim, but any chance is better than none and well worth a try. 
Next morning I hardly dared look at the flashlamp to see if the trap 
had been sprung and the powder burned. But at sight of the charred re- 
mains of the powder box my hopes rose and the discovery of tooth or claw 
marks on the mouse and a sagging wire buoyed them further, though no 
fresh tracks appeared about the den. Why bother to solve disagreeable 
puzzles of this sort? Much better to enjoy the pleasures of anticipation 
until a session in the dark-room should substitute certainty for conjecture. 
As it transpired, a Blue Jay had swooped upon the mouse and risen 
Photograph by Tappan Gregory 
GREAT BLUE HERON 
