File:Wild nature's ways (1903) (14564091748).jpg

Identifier: wildnaturesways00kear (find matches)
Title: Wild nature's ways
Year: 1903 (1900s)
Authors: Kearton, Richard, 1862-1928
Subjects: Birds Insects Natural history
Publisher: London, Paris, New York Melbourne, Cassell and company, limited
Contributing Library: American Museum of Natural History Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library

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nobscured illustrationspoilt, I fired off my focal plane shutter. Fora moment the water rail seemed paralysed bythe noise, but, quickly recovering herself, vanishedlike a flash, and did not reappear for an hourand twenty minutes, during which time I wasenduring the discomforts of an almost tropicalsun overhead. Further waiting and stonestill quietness onthis and the following day resulted in the acquisi-tion of half a dozen good negatives. The great crested grebe is one of the hand-somest and most characteristic birds of Broadland,and, although shy and wary in the extreme, may,by the exercise of great care and the employmentof proper means, be studied at close quartersthroughout almost every phase of its aquatic life. Upon being shown a specimen of this birdslarge raft-like nest a year or two ago, I observedthat its position afforded opportunities for themaking of photographic studies of the grebe athome, if such an accomplishment was possible,and evolved a plan. This was to induce my
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WATER-RAIL ON NEST, 2i8 WILD NATURES WAYS. ever-willing and enthusiastic marshman friend tofill an old boat to overflowing with reeds andcoarse marsh hay, and moor it at some distancefrom the nest, but in full view of it. After thecraft and its unobtrusive cargo had been left aday and a night for the loons inspection, itwas moved somewhat closer. This method ofquiet ingratiation went on steadily for the nextthree or four days, when I put in an appearancewith the camera. Inducing my companion to go forward in hisfowling punt and place a ginger-beer bottle up-right in the centre of the grebes nest, I loweredmy camera overboard into the broad, where all thefull length of the legs of the tripod was submerged,saving an inch or two at the top, and focussedthe bottle as representative of the birds neckand breast. The camera was carefully swathedin litter, and I was buried deep in the boatbeneath it with just a tiny peep-hole commandinga view of the nest and its immediate surroundings,and lef

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