24 BIRD STUDIES WITH A CAMERA 



properly arranged would make an excellent field 

 blind. 



A far more practicable and more easily portable 

 blind may be made by sewing two widths of green denim 

 to the edge of an umbrella. When the umbrella is 

 opened one will be completely concealed. The handle 

 of the umbrella may be attached to a stick driven in 

 the ground, or, when used in trees, its rods may be 

 hung to an overhead limb. For this purpose a "sign" 

 umbrella should be employed. The advantage of 

 this is that it has an opening at the top which ad- 

 mits of much more ventilation than the ordinary rain 

 umbrella. 



Sundries. — The bird photographer will find that 

 he requires numerous articles not usually to be found 

 in the regulation j)liotographic outfit, aa, for exam- 

 ple, climbers for ascending trees and stout cords for 

 hauling the camera up after him ; a dark-cloth, green 

 in color, to aid in disguising tlie camera, and a mir- 

 ror. The latter should be of plate glass, and meas- 

 ure at least twelve by ten inches. A good plan is to 

 buy a piece of glass of desired size and frame it sim- 

 ply in white pine. It may then be attached to a 

 limb, a stick driven in the ground, or other conven- 

 ient object, by means of the ball-and-socket clamp 

 mentioned under Tripods, which may be screwed into 

 the back or the outer border of the frame. Such a 

 mirror will reflect sunlight many yards to shaded 

 nests, where, in photographing old or young birds, a 

 quick exposure is necessary. A vest-pocket mirror, 

 for use in reflecting the reading of the diaphragms 

 or time on the shutter, will permit one to make the 

 desired changes from the rear, and thus prove help- 



