178 HOW TO STUDY BIRDS 



general principle in all cases is the same. I am using 

 the umbrella-tent arrangement as first described by 

 Mr. F. M. Chapman, which can be made by anyone 

 as follows: Get a strong umbrella of good size, say 

 with the ribs about three feet long, with a wooden 

 handle. Cut off the knob or crook, leaving a 

 straight round shaft projecting a little beyond the 

 ends of the ribs. At a machine-shop have a sliding 

 arrangement made, similar to that used In a music- 

 rack, consisting of two hollow metal tubes, each about 

 a yard long, one of which shdes into the other. In 

 the outer one, several Inches down from the upper 

 end, a hole should be cut for a thumb-screw, so that 

 the rack may be extended to any desired degree. 

 Shave off the end of the umbrella-handle so that It 

 will fit snugly several Inches down Into the upper 

 end of the tube, above the thumb-screw. Out of hard 

 wood make a pin, ending In a point, the other end 

 fitting firmly Into the bottom of the tube. This Is to 

 insert Into the ground to hold up the rod with the 

 umbrella. 



Now for the tent part. Out of strong, unbleached 

 cotton cloth have made a crude tent just the size and 

 shape of the umbrella when spread and just reaching 

 to the ground when erected high enough to enable 

 one to kneel. With hip-boots one can kneel on wet 

 ground. If In water, the rod can be lengthened so 

 that the bottom of the tent will just reach the water, 

 and, say knee-deep in water or mud, one can stand 

 erect in it. It Is easy to cut the cloth for the tent 



