Page:Condor2(5).djvu/6

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?o2 TItE CON1}OR [ ol. II The nest was about one-third finishcd so I left it fi?r ahout ten days and on the 25th of July, with the assistance of Mr. F. C. Willard, his brother Nelson and a Mr. Stuart, I secured a beautiful nest and two slightly incubated eggs. The nest was about fifty feet ahove the ground and about twenty feet out from the trunk of the tree, saddled on a large horizontal limb near its extremity. I so that it nest and of about fastened tree. When passed a foot or two above the a little to one side, at an angle 45 . The other end was then toalimb at the base of the everything was ready two of the boys played tug-of-war at the end of the rope, in order to keep it in position while I slid down to the nest. [ was taking the eggs from the nest while the PLATE II. COI.I.ECTING A NEST OF THE RIV)LI HUhlMINGBIRD, {Showing Mr, 1toxvard's meth(xl ot ct?11ecting nests situated on slender limbs) had thought of removing the eggs fr?)m tile nest hy use of a scoop, and of swing- ing the limb in by fastening a rope to it from above. but the only safe way to secure the nest was hy usiug a rol)e as shown ifi the illustration. ()ue end of the rope was drawn up over a large limb at the trunk c,f the tree, diagonally above the nest. Enough rope w?/g then drawn over to permit one cud heing pulled out from the ground, third party on tile ground took the picture. After placing the eggs safely in my mouth I cut off a large portion of the limb with my hatchet and slid on down to the ground. From the time 1 started d{m,n the rope the whole per- formance took about one minute. This is only a fair example of how various nests were takeu in this manner. The photograph of the nest was taken after the limb had heen carried to the ground.