22 PHOTOGRAPHY FOR NATURALISTS. 



For natural history work, the following points are 

 essential in the shutter: (i.) It must be absolutely 

 noiseless before and during exposure if it can avoid 

 a click at the finish so much the better. (2.) It must 

 be of such simple construction as to be repairable 

 without being sent to the makers. (3.) It must be 

 able to stand the roughest usage. (4.) It must never 

 jam. It is difficult to name a shutter on the market 

 which fulfils all these requirements. Natural history 

 work, however, invariably leads to the accumulation of 

 different patterns, and, out of the remnants of such, it 

 is not difficult to construct one which shall approxi- 

 mate to the ideal. A pneumatic release is essential, 

 but for any but really fast work the "flap" pattern 

 is probably the best. For high speed work there is 

 nothing to compare with the focal plane. 



Besides the ordinary tripod, some form of vertical 

 stand will be found so convenient as to become 

 eventually a necessity. The simplest form of vertical 

 stand consists of two stout boards hinged together at 

 one extremity. In the lower there is a bush for the 

 tripod screw, in the upper a row of holes for the screw 

 attaching the camera. Two adjustable side struts, 

 similar to those employed for swinging back, complete 

 the apparatus. With such an arrangement, which is 

 simple and inexpensive to manufacture, the camera 

 can be made to point in any desirable direction. 



In the figure, A A represent the hinged boards, 

 B one of the side struts, C the camera, E E the tripod 

 screw attachments, T the ordinary tripod stand. 



