34 AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGY. 



It is the best of what are called rectilinear lenses, and is rated to cover 

 a 6 1-2x8 1-2 at an opening of f6. It will cover the 4x5 plates on which 

 I use it at an opening of f4; consequently it will take a fully exposed 

 picture in one quarter of the time required by the ordinary trade lens; 

 this value is most appreciated on a cloudy day when a snap shot is or- 

 dinarily impossible. Still higher in price are the Anastigmats that are 

 advertised so extensively. While these may be better for some classes- 

 of work, than the rectilinear, I do not think that they are any more 

 adapted to bird photography than the cheaper ones. I have tried sev- 

 eral makes and could not get any better work and I have never seen 

 any photos taken by any one else, that are any better because taken 

 with an Anastigmat. A single or achromatic lens'is not suitable because 

 of its lack of covering power at full opening and slow speed. I have 

 tried very few lens shutters, but the Unicum has always proved satis- 

 factory. It is easily released from a distance and you can tell by using 

 your field glasses whether the plate has been exposed or not by the 

 position of the setting lever. A number of times when at an excep- 

 tionally long distance from the camera, the shutter has failed to release 

 at the first pressure on the bulk and a second was necessary. An auto- 

 matic shutter is not satisfactory for this purpose as, not only can you 

 not tell when the exposure has been made, but it requires a strong pres- 

 sure and can not be operated from a distance with any certainty. 



A stout three fold tripod will be found best for holding the camera. 

 I have painted the legs on mine a dull brown, so that it is very incon- 

 spicuous when set up in the woods and does not need to be concealed. 

 A ball and socket clamp for attaching the camera to the tripod will be 

 found very handy when photographing birds and is almost indispensable 

 when photographing nests and eggs. For taking pictures of birds and 

 nests in trees, it will be found that in nearly all cases the camera can 

 be fastened in the tree by tying each leg of the tripod to a branch of the 

 tree; this will make the camera nearly as firm as though setting on the 

 ground. Fifty feet of camera tubing will be found sufficient for the 

 majority of cases, although I have on a number of occasions used a 

 hundred- A linen thread may be used for the purpose of releasing the 



shutter, but it is not as reliable as the tubing as it is apt to jar the end 

 of the camera or to get tangled up in the branches so that it cannot be 

 used at all. For other purposes a spool of black linen thread is one of 

 the most convenient articles you can carry with you. By using this 

 you can in nearly every case manage to shade the young birds from the 

 sun while you are waiting for the adults to return. The thread can be 

 attached to the branch that naturally furnishes shade to the little ones. 



