6 THE BRITISH NATURE BOOK 



Some Necessary Apparatus for the Naturalist. 



I HAVE written somewhat extensively in The Young People's Nature Study 

 Book on sundry simple apparatus for the would-be naturalist ; to this I 

 venture to refer any reader who would wish to know how to make a simple 

 " observing glass" or a " naturalist's walking-stick." 



In this chapter I deal with an entirely new set of suggestions for those 

 who like making their own instruments, or, like the majority of us to-day, 

 cannot afford to buy expensive articles such as binoculars, microscopes, 

 cameras, and lenses all of which are great aids to the study of Nature. 



One piece of apparatus alone I suggest that a student should buy, and by 

 means of that one instrument he can construct, with very little skill or trouble, 

 both microscope and camera, as well as discover how to increase the utility 

 of the instrument itself. I refer to a cheap pocket telescope. 



Before the Great War this instrument could be bought for 6s. 6d. 

 at a house such as Gamage's. It has the advantage of taking up very 

 little room, measuring 6| inches when closed ; it is invaluable for observing 

 birds or animals at a distance, and gives a much . higher magnification 

 than any pair of binoculars ; while practice will enable its possessor to focus 

 it quickly on any small object. But in addition it can be used, with a very 

 slight alteration, for observing insects and flowers at a distance of two or 

 three feet ; it contains an excellent microscope, which can be used either in 

 the fields or on a stand at home ; out of it also can be obtained a whole battery 

 of magnifiers for use when necessary, together with a lens which serves as the 

 important part of a simple Nature camera. 



Few people realize what a multum in parvo a small telescope is ; but 

 several of the illustrations in this book (for example, the Camberwell Beauty) 

 were taken with its aid. 



For use in the fields, to observe birds or animals, the only disadvantage 

 I know of is the difficulty of steadying it in prolonged observations. If a con- 

 venient fence or tree is not at hand on which to support it, a walking-stick 

 is useful if applied in the following manner : A piece of string or a strap is 

 fastened round the right knee, into which the end of the stick is lodged ; then 

 the end of the telescope is supported on the top of the stick, at eye-level. 

 This is so simple a dodge that I am surprised that it does not appear to have 

 been known before ; at any rate, I have never seen it in print. 



It requires a little knack to be able to centre a distant object quickly 

 within the field of the instrument ; but practice makes perfect. I find that the 

 quickest way is to hold the telescope to the eye and take a sight along the 

 top of it at the object ; then, by slowly tilting up the end in a vertical direction, 

 the object is sure to enter the field of vision. 



In order to be quite accurate, and to enable readers to have no difficulty 

 in purchasing a similar instrument to that to which I refer in this chapter, I 



