beckhart] THE BLUEBIRD 103 



It will be found that with a Zeiss objective for the micro- 

 scope giving a power of four diameters, a field of one inch may be 

 covered. This means that any object not larger than a twenty- 

 five cent piece may be photographed with the microscope with 

 excellent definition and depth of focus. 



The proper illumination of opaque objects is a somewhat 

 •difficult problem. A suitable lamp may be easily constructed 

 using a laboratory support and a Welshbach Junior mantle with 

 a chimney made of brass tubing in which a slit is cut to allow the 

 light to escape. This lamp can be raised, lowered or inclined. The 

 proper connections with the gas supply are easily made. In 

 general use, a large bull's eye condenser is placed close to the 

 light source so as to obtain parallel rays which may be reflected 

 back by small pieces of looking-glass inclined at an angle on the 

 •opposite side of the illumined object. This method avoids the 

 too deep shadows which are a source of considerable trouble. 



Of course it is understood that in photographing aquarium 

 life in place, the flat sided tank should be used, not the one with 

 rounding sides. Many forms of water life can not be satisfac-. 

 torily preserved, hence the value of such permanent photographic 

 records. The writer has photographed during the past winter 

 such delicate things as the feathered feet of the barnacle, the egg 

 capsules and eggs of many snails, as well as the various smaller 

 .sea anemones found on our shores. 



THE BLUEBIRD 



By FLORINE M. BECKHART, Aged 12, Five Mile Grove School, Cass Co., Iowa 



The bluebirds are among the first to come in the spring and 

 ■when we see the bit of blue flitting about we may be sure that 

 grim Winter is making way for Miss Spring. As soon as the 

 weather begins to turn warm they are hunting for a house to let. 



A bluebird's dress is a rich blue color from the head to the 

 tip of the tail. The throat and the upper parts of the breast are 

 orange, but nearer the tail it is a dingy white. The male bird is 

 a little darker than the female and both are about the size of an 

 English sparrow. 



I made the acquaintance of a pair of bluebirds that had taken 

 an old hollow fence post for their home. May 10, when the nest 

 was found, it had five pale blue eggs in it. The eggs were about 

 the size of an English sparrow's. A few days later one of the 

 •eggs disappeared and I think the birds pushed it out because 



