Page:The Zoologist, 4th series, vol 4 (1900).djvu/260

232 6th.—Moore and I went to photograph the Black-headed Gulls on their nests, and were most successful. I never thought they would face the camera; as the marsh took us up nearly to our middles, and we had to lash sticks on to the tripod, leaving the camera several feet above the water; then we screened it with green boughs of birch, and worked with one hundred yards of fine Trout-line. We got some beauties.

8th.—Moore tried to photograph a Turtle-Dove on her nest, but, though he waited five hours for the bird to come back, and the camera was so well concealed that three boys going to bathe passed within a couple of yards of it, and never noticed it, yet the bird would not return. They are most difficult birds to photograph on the nest.

10th.—Metcalfe got three lovely photographs of a Common Sandpiper on her nest, in three different positions.

12th.—Went with Moore to photograph the nest and eggs of the Great Crested Grebe. I am glad to say these birds have increased considerably. If only we had had another ten feet of pneumatic tubing we should have got the old bird on the nest. We had the keeper up a tree ready to whistle to us when she settled, and she came close up several times; but most unfortunately she could just see our heads above a bank, where we were lying with our legs in the water. We were miles from home, and had to get back that night; and so we failed through want of a few feet of tubing. Found a Grasshopper-Warbler's nest with young.

19th.— Moore and I made a day's journey to get a Reed Warbler on her nest. Were most successful. Got her in four different positions coming on to the nest. I believe these, like the Redshank and Lapwing, are unique. Found several nests; some just finished, some with four fresh eggs, some with hard-set eggs. Also Moore got a very pretty photo of a Pheasant on her nest, using a long-focus lens. Saw a pair of Tufted Ducks, but had no time to look for the nest.

23rd.—Went down into Holderness for a night to enquire into the ruthless destruction that has been going on amongst our last remaining colony of Lesser Terns. While the watcher was on, appointed by the County Council, the birds increased in number; but now the trippers, who come over by steamer from