38 Pictures of Bird Life 



,5x4 caiuera, fitted with an old focal plane sliutter. whieli, 

 lunve\'er, works now before the lens. It takes a sintj-le lens 

 of 14-inch focus, besides the R.R., Eiiryscope, and Stiginatic, 

 and has a changing-box with twelve plates.) 



As for plates, they are all good, and I firmly believe in 

 everybody sticking to one brand and kno^^'ing what it will 

 do bv experience. For tele-photo work the very fastest 

 plates are hardly fast enough sometimes. Cadett Ijighting 

 and Spectrum and Imperial flash-light plates ha^ e been used, 

 and are all of them very good. For nests I prefer a plate 

 of ordinary speed, and have found Imperial ordinary plates 

 most excellent. Except for working in a very high wind, 

 I would not ask for anything better ; but on such occasions 

 their special-rapid plate is perhaps to l)e preferred. Another 

 beautifully clean and brilliant plate for nest work is the 

 A\"arwick instantaneous plate. For developers I believe in 

 old-fashioned pyro, with soda as accelerator. But in these 

 matters we all have oiu* own opinions and prejudices, and 

 there is plenty of room for difference of opinion. 



Then, besides the purely photographic outfit, a good 

 field-glass is a sine qua iion. AVith such a load of necessary 

 tools to be carried about, every ounce of weight is a 

 matter of importance, and before the introduction of the 

 prismatic glasses a powerful glass was a serious addition 

 to the kit, already over-heavy. Xow a glass as powerfid 

 as a telescope weighs so little as to l^e luinoticed. Tlie 

 innate timidity and incessant watchfulness displayed by each 

 and every member of the animal creation make some 



