14 



ORNITHOLOGIST 



[Vol. 13-N"o. 1 



Photographic Ornithology. 



m KRKDERIC H. t'AI!IM:NTKU. 



\\ hell I 111' alxivc title was fdrvvanlcci luc vvitli 

 the nM|iiHst that I ai'ppiui luy expeiiciice with 

 thp caiiifia thei-t4o, I was awaio of tlie extent 

 of tlip siilijeet whieli it outlines. Piobaljly no 

 anniteur s|)()it, if 3'on ehoose to so term it, de- 

 mands sucli skill and patienee .is photojfiaphy, 

 yet nothiiiu; is more simple in its i-nles, but they 

 must be stiietly adhered to in every minute de- 

 tail, or failure is the result; while on the other 

 hand there is no limit to the beautiful results 

 wliii-h may be obtained by success, which is 

 easily gained by the proper method of proceed- 

 ure. 



It is .lot my purpose to give tlie directions as 

 to focusing the camera, or developing the dry 

 plate or printing the proof. As far as books 

 can teach that process <an be learned in the 

 many instinctive manuals to be obtained of the 

 manufacturers. We will suppose the reader to 

 be ill possession of his camera and adjuncts, 

 and further, to be posted as to the method of 

 focusing the image on the ground glass aud to 

 expose the dry plate properly, to be able to de- 

 velop the negative and jirint his proof, or at 

 least to be aware of the niodmi <iprr<iiidi, of the 

 process. Then nothing further can be done 

 except to practice the art. and I trust I will not 

 be deemed egotistical if I give the way in whicli 

 I have followed the pastime in connection w ith 

 ornithology. Do not let the pronoun seem ex- 

 pressive of bigotry, as the only experience of 

 which I can speak is my own. It has been ex- 

 pensive for me to experiment, aud the results 

 as given may save time and money to another. 



My camera is a 5x8, light and compact, and 

 is a size I find best for general purposes. The 

 lenses are of Waterbury make, suih as came 

 with the camera, but I have never regretted the 

 twenty-five dollars which I spent for one of 

 DarIot"s of Paris. With a rubber focusing 

 cloth and a foMing tripod, I have a very light, 

 portable outfit, complete with the excep- 

 tion of the plateholders. Of these 1 carry 

 a half-dozen, filling them with dry plates 

 in my dark room and carrying them in a knap- 

 sack, or in the large game pockets of my hunt- 

 ing coat. Of the dift'erent makes of dry plates 

 I find Carbrett"s to be the most satisfactory and 

 the difterent brands are suited to all degrees 

 and times of exposure. A careful use of the 

 stops are necessary to good prints and as the 

 majority of exposures are on objects at short 

 range, plenty of light should be allowed, 



always erring on the side of over-exposure. 



.\fter exposing the plate it should be kept 

 from the light, and a memorandum of particu- 

 lars should be preserved for reference. Then 

 nothing remains but the developing of the 

 plate, to which nfi set directions can be given, 

 as each individual plate will need treatment ac- 

 cording to its exposure, the needs of which will 

 beitome apparent in the process of develop- 

 ment. .\s that work is purely jjhotographic, 

 we will return to the field. The uses of the 

 camera in relation with ornithology and oology 

 are manifold, but in the study of nests aud nest- 

 ing sites it comes into most frequent use. 



It is a simple matter to photograph a nest 

 placed in or on the ground, or in a low bush, 

 provided the day bo ■dear, and it is not sup- 

 posed that any attempts would he made in 

 cloudy or stormy weather. To distinctly bring 

 out in clear print the eggs as they lie in the 

 nest is not ditticnit; simply allow the light to 

 fall freely into the nest and a near stand-point 

 with large stop will give all to be desired with a 

 short exposure. The difficulty increases when 

 the nest is placed at considerable height, and 

 the only remedy is. if the nest be a small one, 

 to take it with its contents to a favorable posi- 

 tion ; but in a few cases I have, by mounting a 

 stone wall or fence, or climbing the tree, suc- 

 ceeded in obtaining a short exposure. In very 

 large nests, such as hawks aud eagles, a com- 

 plete view of the tree and nest is the preferable 

 focus and if an instantaneous exposure can be 

 made when one of the birds is flying past so 

 much the better. The writer has in one in- 

 stance a well branched tree in which a nest of 

 the Osprey was placed, and by aid of conven- 

 ient limbs focussed the contents with very good 

 results, and is of tlie opinion it would be feasi- 

 ble in many instances to persue the same plan 

 of operation. 



To photograph a living bird sitting upon her 

 nest, has been considered so difficult and tick- 

 lish an operation as to command utmost ad- 

 miration for the skill of the photographer and 

 wonder at the confidence of the bird. Vivid 

 memories of unsuccessful attempts come before 

 me as I write, which might have been the tale 

 until the present, if a simple expedient had not 

 been liit upon. It is self evident that no silting 

 bird can be photographed if on a nest higher 

 than the camera unless some convenient mount 

 is at hand. We therefore approach some nest 

 on groimd or low bush, and as to be expected, 

 the occupant flies away in alarm. Just as well, 

 we focus the nest carefully, put in the plate- 

 holder, one containing a " lightning " brand 



