. Wild nature's ways . s, telling their namenight and day to all the countryside. I haveseen as many as five chasing each other, whilstnorth, south, east, and west of me others couldbe observed flopping awkwardly down into thelong marsh growth, dihgently searching for cater-pillars of the drinker moth. Noticing that when e\erything was saturatedwitli dew in the early hours of the morningthey sought for some dead dock stem or witheredreed rising higher than its fellows to indolentlyperch upon, I reasoned that the birds mightpossibly be induced to use some resting-placewithin range of the camera
. Wild nature's ways . s, telling their namenight and day to all the countryside. I haveseen as many as five chasing each other, whilstnorth, south, east, and west of me others couldbe observed flopping awkwardly down into thelong marsh growth, dihgently searching for cater-pillars of the drinker moth. Noticing that when e\erything was saturatedwitli dew in the early hours of the morningthey sought for some dead dock stem or witheredreed rising higher than its fellows to indolentlyperch upon, I reasoned that the birds mightpossibly be induced to use some resting-placewithin range of the camera, so forthwith securedan old forked piece of blackthorn, which I thrustbutt end downwards into the soft ground somefifteen feet in front of my place of cuckoo almost immediately showed itsappreciation of my efforts at providing a sub-stantial outlook in the middle of a great brownsea of dew-steeped vegetation by coming andalighting upon it. I could easily have made a BIRDS OF BROADLAND AND STREAMSIDE. 195. CUCKOO time exposure of any reasonable length on thesedate creature had it not been for the awkwardcircumstance that a breeze which had suddenlysprung up was making the stick vibrate in amost annoying fashion. This compelled me touse my rapid shutter, the noise of which startledthe bird into instant departure. I had not long 196 WILD NATURES WAYS. to wait, however, before my improvised perchwas again utihsed. Once I heard the sudden flick of folding wingsclose to my head, and peering cautiously upwards,was surprised to behold a cuckoo sitting on theroof of my hiding-place. The birds frayed tailfeathers, drooping within a few inches of myface, told an eloquent tale of oversea wear andtear, but at the same time made me wonder alittle why such shabby old clothes should beworn at the height of the season of attempted to thrust a hand carefully throughthe sticks and reeds and thus secure my visitor,but although she had hitherto been entirely un-consciou
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