252 Bird -Lore 



opened and thrust into the brass tube which has been set in position, when 

 the blind is erected; an operation requiring less than half a minute. 



When traveling, it seems more desirable not to attach the walls of the blind 

 to the umbrella. The covering then consists of several strips of material sewed 

 together to make a piece measuring 6£ x n£ feet wide. The two ends of this 

 piece are sewed together at what then becomes the top of the blind, for about 

 two feet. The unjoined portion below, becomes the door of the blind. Open- 

 ings should be cut in the opposite side, for the lens and for observation. A strong 

 draw cord is then run about the top edge of the cloth, so that, before inserting 

 and opening the umbrella, one can draw it up, as one would the neck of a bag, 

 until the opening corresponds in size to that in the top of the umbrella. The 

 draw cord should be long enough to serve as a guy or stay. This covering places 

 less strain on the umbrella and may be packed in smaller space than one which 

 is sewed to the umbrella and, when in camp, it may be used to sleep on, as a 

 covering, as a shelter tent or in a variety of ways. 



The color of the umbrella should be leaf -green. The covering should be sand- 

 or earth-colored and should be dyed leaf-green on its upper third, whence it 

 should gradually fade to the original cloth color at about the center. Such a color 

 scheme conforms to Abbott Thayer's law that animals are darkest where they 

 receive the most light, and palest where they are most in shadow; and therefore 

 renders the blind much less conspicuous than if it were uniformly green or gray. 

 It is not amiss to run belts of braid about the covering, sewing them to it at 

 intervals and thus forming loops in which, when desired, reeds or branches may 

 be thrust. 



In erecting the blind, if circumstances permit, it is desirable to place the 

 "door" toward the wind to insure better ventilation. Where the situation is 

 exposed, an additional stay or two may be required. If the camera box is not 

 strong enough to sit on, a collapsible artist's camp-stool should be added to 

 the outfit. One cannot spend a half day in such close quarters and observe and 

 record to advantage unless one is comfortably seated. This structure weighs 

 only a few pounds and when folded may easily be slung on one's back, becoming, 

 in fact, a quickly available "cloak of invisibility" from the shelter of which one 

 may see unseen. A blind of this type is shown in position in Bird-Lore for 

 August, 1908, in the article on Fish Hawks. 



