. Bird-hunting through wild Europe . eds,using the beak as a hook. Both nests and eggs appeared to be smaller thanthose of A. cinerea. The nests were sometimesraised about two or three feet above the water,others were nearly flush. The birds themselveswere quieter than cinerea or purpurea, and I onlyheard low croakings while waiting at the nests. But they were exceedingly shy. In vain I triedevery dodge and artifice I could think of. One dayI spent hiding at a little distance with reeds tied allround my waist, with a long string on to the shutterof the camera. For hours I stood in the water th
. Bird-hunting through wild Europe . eds,using the beak as a hook. Both nests and eggs appeared to be smaller thanthose of A. cinerea. The nests were sometimesraised about two or three feet above the water,others were nearly flush. The birds themselveswere quieter than cinerea or purpurea, and I onlyheard low croakings while waiting at the nests. But they were exceedingly shy. In vain I triedevery dodge and artifice I could think of. One dayI spent hiding at a little distance with reeds tied allround my waist, with a long string on to the shutterof the camera. For hours I stood in the water thushidden, swaying backwards and forwards in thewind like the other reeds, till I almost began tothink I was a reed myself. But the birds eithersaw the hidden camera, or detected me through mydisguise, and obstinately refused to alight. Then I tried the electric camera, and this didgo off several times. It was lucky, however, that Idid not altogether trust to this plan, which has itsadvantages for very shy birds, but at the same time. YOUNG GREAT WHITE HERONS [To face page 172 THROUGH WILD EUROPE 173 is very tricky and unreliable, for it turned outafterwards that for some reason or other all theseexposures were failures. Then I used an empty nest as a hiding-place. Itwas at a good height up, and, by burrowing a hole inthe mud with my feet, so as to make it rather deeper,I found I could stand behind and partly under it andbe pretty well hidden, and at the same time get agood, clear view of a likely nest opposite. Here, then, I remained almost motionless for twoentire days of ten hours each day, from eight oclockin the morning until six oclock in the evening. Ihad some food in my shoulder-bag, for my pocketswere full of water, and munched hard-boiled eggsand dry bread when I was hungry. The onlyexercise I could take to keep the circulation goingin my legs was working with my feet to deepen thehole I was standing in. The water was up to mywaist, and to make things still more unplea
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, bookidcu319240, booksubjectbirds
