KIDD'S OWN JOURNAL. 



203 



it here ; but will just remark that this species 

 is characterised by having its leaves biternate 

 and glabrous. It is called the " entire-leaved," 

 with reference to their segments being entire. 

 The Baneberry, or Herb Christopher 

 (Actaa spicata) is a plant of the height of 

 1£ feet ; with leaves similar to those of our 

 common Elder. It is found in thickets and 

 copses, in the north of England. The berry 

 is black and poisonous. The little plant 

 called the " Mousetail" ( My osurus minimus), 

 from the elongated receptacle of the seed 

 vessels which is met with in some of our 

 fields, is also one of this order. It bears a 

 little yellowish-green flower. 



Aglia Tau. 

 Stoke Newiiigton. 



(To be Continued. J 

 I LOVE THE NIGHT! 



BY ALFRED H. HETIIERIXGT0N. 



NOTES ON PHOTOGRAPHY. 



. No. II— HOW TO TAKE A PICTURE. 

 (Continued from Page 134.) 



I love the night, when silence reigns 

 O'er vaulted hills and fertile plains; 

 When featlier'd warblers sink to rest, 

 And nestle in fair Nature's breast; 

 When stillness dwells with all around, 

 And earth and air send forth no sound, 

 Save when the gentle nightingale 

 Tells to the moon his plaintive tale. 



I love the dreaded midnight hour, 

 When Superstition wields his power 

 O'er many a dark and dreary land, 

 With fancied phantoms hand in hand ; 

 When awe-inspiring darkness stalks 

 Abroad to take his midnight walks ; 

 Or, guided by the restless wave, 

 A dirge sings o'er the seaman's grave. 



I love the night, calm and serene, 

 When gentle Luna, beauteous queen, 

 Attended by her starry train, 

 Casts her soft beams o'er land and main ; 

 When zephyrs sigh, and gentle gales 

 Whisper their love to flowery vales, 

 And waft the fragrance they impart 

 With soothing influence o'er the heart ! 



I love the night, when howling winds 

 A requiem sing ; and darkness finds 

 Congenial spirit with the cloud 

 That wraps the pale moon in a shroud ; 

 When angry tempests' deafening roar, 

 With wild waves dash along the shore ; 

 And echoing hills repeat the crash 

 In answer to the lightning's flash. 



I love the night ; — when others sleep, 

 I wander forth, but not to weep 

 O'er blighted love, and constancy ; 

 Or task my treacherous memory 

 With cares deserted long ago, 

 Or griefs that cause my tears to flow, 

 Or murmur at affliction's rod — 

 But to commune in thought with God ! 



I SHALL NOW, MY DEAR SIR, proceed to 



describe the process for taking a collodion 

 "negative" picture on glass, which can 

 afterwards be either retained as a " negative," 

 and serve (as I shall show in another article), 

 to print any number of pictures on paper 

 from, or be turned at once into a " positive " 

 picture. 



The first thing to be attended to, is clean- 

 ing the glass plate destined for the reception 

 of the picture. After being carefully washed 

 in pure water, a few drops of liquid ammonia 

 should be poured on each side, and well 

 rubbed over it ; then, more water. It must 

 lastly be dried and rubbed with a clean cotton 

 or linen cloth kept for the purpose. When 

 cleaned, the plate should be left (till wanted) 

 covered with the cloth; as the rubbing 

 electrifies it for a few seconds, and causes 

 it to attract any particles of dust that may 

 be floating in the air. 



The next operation is coating the glass 

 with collodion. To be able properly to per- 

 form this, the beginner must see it done by a 

 skilful person. Hold the plate by one corner 

 with the forefinger and thumb of one hand ; 

 and the bottle in the other : then pour on 

 the glass a quantity of collodion ; inclining 

 the plate in different directions so that the 

 fluid may run to, but not over, the edges all 

 round ; when this is completed, return to 

 the bottle as much collodion as will drain off. 

 The whole of this operation should not take 

 longer time than the reading of this sentence ; 

 for the collodion very soon hardens, and will 

 not run. Care must be taken not to touch 

 the film on the glass with the fingers ; for any 

 substance (even a slight touch) will disturb 

 it and render the plate unfit for use. Any 

 dry bits round the neck of the collodion 

 bottle should be carefully removed before 

 using ; as anything hard running on the glass 

 with the collodion will cause a speck on the 

 picture. The plate may be thus coated in 

 daylight, but all subsequent operations must 

 be conducted in the darkened apartment. 



The plate is now to be excited in the nitrate 

 of silver, which has been placed in the gutta 

 percha bath. The glass being laid on the 

 dipper, which is previously wetted, in order 

 that the moisture may make the plate adhere, 

 it is lowered gently, but without break or 

 hesitation, into the liquid. Any stoppage 

 would cause a line across the picture. After 

 being left in this bath for about two minutes, 

 the plate (still in the dark or twilight) is 

 fitted into the camera slide, which has been 

 laid ready to receive it, with the collodion 

 side down ; as, when exposed, that side must 

 be nearest the lenses. 



