THE NIDOLOGIST 97 
strong and they ‘‘manfully’? set to work 
again—this time, however, in strong con- 
trast to their first leisurely efforts. And 
further, it would seem that no site other 
than a slippery gutter entered into their 
calculations fora moment, for within an 
hour from the time of their last despoiling 
we observed them engaged in feverish haste 
in laying a nest foundation in a galvanized 
iron gutter upon the house of a neighbor 
but afew rods away, and here they were 
permitted to sucessfully complete their 
interrupted labors and early in September 
were triumphantly feeding their newly 
hatched young. 
MINNEWAUKAN, N. D. B.S. ROLFE. 
9 oe 
The Photo Fiend. 
BY REV. P. B. PEABODY. 
( Continued.) 
VOID fogging films. Avo: fogging 
films! I say that to myself twice. 
And here I must say out loud (for I 
am writing, not in the interest of Dealers, 
but of Consumers) that the ‘‘ Daylight” 
feature of certain cameras is, to beginners, 
at least, a delusion. 
One takes that wonderful new camera 
into the darkest corner of a very dark hall- 
way to unload. The reel has balked; of 
course, the film is exhausted. Nervously, 
the camera back is unscrewed, and, horror 
of horrors! instead of black cloth one sees 
a vision of film. Something has caught, 
of course; and not ouly are the two or 
three best negatives in the roll completely 
fogged, but the two remaining exposures 
are now worthless. What can be the mat- 
ter? The indicator says ‘'25’’ (or ‘‘50’’ as 
the case may be) simply this: The roll of 
film was put in strictly according to direc- 
tions, and set automatically. As a conse- 
quence the first two exposures (oh, what 
fine negatives they might have made!) were 
snapped onto black cloth, and the whole 
stupid automatic business makes one ready 
to trade his darling camera for a collection 
of stamps. But the ‘‘Daylight”’ is all right 
“for a’ that.’’ Have adark room. Load 
the camera there. Turn the reel until the 
margin of film next the black cloth touches 
the ‘‘oft’”’ edge of the view field. Then it’s 
right. And now, if the film catches, all 
may be set right, calmly and deliberately 
if the dark-room be at hand (if on a col- 
lecting trip, the investigation shouid be 
LITTLE RING PLOVER 
(From Elliot’s 
“Shore Birds’’) 
made in the dark, there being scant excuse 
for not knowing one’s camera sufficiently 
to do this.) 
And now we start afield. We have 
learned to be very humble; to watch every 
step; to obey directions—sometimes—and 
sometimes carefully to follow our own 
judgment. We have learned that, of species 
fairly common, we shall finda more perfect 
nest, or a more beautiful site, to-morrow, 
and so we pass by many good things. We 
find a Green Heron’s nest, in a three-inch 
sapling, near the top, eight feet up. How 
can we reach Zhat? 
From the tail end of my wagon, I draw 
a skeleton ladder, light strong, hickory 
sides and iron rungs. It has safe braces 
and an equally safe extension. All this 
puts me at least six feet above the nest on 
any side and at any feasible angle. I want, 
now, to take a shot at four feet. Very well. 
I focus the camera at four and a half. In 
case I wished a five-toot focus, I should set 
the index at six. ‘The lesson of many ‘‘in- 
definite’’ negatives, with the clear focal 
point just back of the point of interest has 
taught us, that, in automatic focusing, the 
indicated distance should be a little greater 
(in sliding scale) than the actual distance. 
This raises the query: When will man- 
