THE WOMBAT. 57 



Do not waste your plates, but study your picture. If 

 you can develope 3'our plates while out, you may be able to 

 secure another ; if not good, a little handwashing, passing 

 through a mixture of three drops of H CI. to two ounces 

 of water, another wash, and through spirits of wine to dry 

 quickly, will preserve the negatives as well as if they were 

 washed in the ordinary way. 



If you see a view you want, take it ; do not put it off from 

 day to day. I once lost a picture at Lome in this way, and I 

 may not be able to secure it again. It was a view on the river 

 St. George towards sunset, with the moon just shining over 

 the hills, and reflected in the water shaded by the hills. I 

 put it off for two or three days and, when I went to take it, 

 I found that it was lost ; the moon did not reach the top of 

 the hills till it was too dark to take the picture, much to our 

 regret. 



Never leave your camera standing in the sun. We saw 

 one at Lome which was left in this way with the cap off and 

 covered by the cloth. The cloth blew off and the sun, striking 

 through the lens, set the camera on fire. 



In conclusion, I would recommend patent rubber bottoms 

 for the legs of your tripod for coast work ; these can be secured 

 at photographic warehouses. 



A TRIP TO TOOLANGIE. 



To the Editor of the Wombat. 



About the middle of January last, a letter was received 

 by the Gordon College A. P. A. from Mr. Harvie, of the 

 Melbourne society, stating that several of their members had 

 organized a trip to Toolangie for a few days towards the end 

 of the month, and inviting such of our members as could join 

 them to do so. 



Several of us agreed to go, but from various causes I had 

 to go alone when the time came round. 



I leave Geelong by the morning train on the 24th, and met 

 Mr. Harvie, with the Melbourne contingent, at Flinders-street 

 station at the hour appointed — noon. Reaching Yarra Glen 

 at 2.20 we start for Toolangie with a waggonette and four 

 horses. For the first few miles the road passes through the 

 Yarra Flats — beautiful country from a farmer's point of view, 

 but not from ours. We then begin to get into the hilly 

 country, passing close to the pipe track which takes the water 

 once forming part of the Murray feeders, to the Yan Yean 



