CONCEALMENT. 65 



is stretched across the wind on a boisterous day 

 it cannot pass in a straight line between oneself 

 and the camera, it must go bellying out down the 

 wind, and if we attempt to pull it straight the 

 shutter will almost certainly be accidentally 

 released. Since birds have little or no sense of 

 smell, we need on that score have no scruples about 

 taking up a position to windward, but, of course, 

 sound, to which birds are extremely sensitive, will 

 be carried with the wind much more readily than 

 against it. 



We have heard of cases which could not be 

 attempted because the position of the camera 

 was fixed by the nature of the site, and the only 

 hiding-place was on the right-hand side of it and 

 beyond the reach of the tubing, while the shutter 

 arm was on the left ! The admonition so dear 

 to the schoolmaster, that there is no such word as 

 " can't," should be fondly cherished by the bird- 

 photographer. Fortunately in such cases as this, 

 there are many ways of overcoming the difficulty. 

 We have already seen how the pneumatic release 

 may be lengthened almost indefinitely, and here 

 a short length of tubing, a lever and a line, would 

 at once give a workable release, or the line method 

 alone can be adapted to meet the case. This can 

 be done very simply by fixing a little pulley-wheel^ 

 such as is used for window-blinds, at some point 



