AMATEUR PHOTOGRAPHY. 
As nearly as I could judge the most of 
the photographs taken were developed in 
camp by soldiers who had the necessary 
apparatus, or by professionals in the cities. 
The desire to see the result was generally 
too great to let the men send their films, 
undeveloped, home to their friends. In 
defiance of all military rules and regula- 
tions, developing was extensively carried 
on in tents at night after “‘taps’” had sound- 
ed and all good soldiers were supposed 
fast asleep. Spare moments in daytime 
were utilized in printing out, and frames 
set out in the sun were seen everywhere. 
So evident was their industry that the ama- 
teur enthusiasts were the butt of many 
jokes on their particular hobby. “Self- 
tonne Matt,’ “Hypo. Bill,” “Velox 
Jack” and ‘Dark Room Dick’ were some 
sobriquets bestowed on the photo fiends by 
their comrades, who professed to look on 
the struggles against difficulties with much 
amusement, but really with carefully con- 
cealed sympathy. 
Were the experiences of the soldier pho- 
tographers collected, I am sure they would 
form the basis for many an improvement 
in apparatus. I found out, personally, that 
a drying frame was well worth the room it 
occupied in baggage, and that papier- 
mache, vulcanized fibre and japanned tin 
trays were far inferior to those made from 
glossy, hard rubber. Pressed fibre trays 
were so easily broken, tin trays were re- 
sponsible for so many scratched films, that 
to-any one intending to do work in a camp 
I unhesitatingly recommend the trays 
made of the higher-priced material. 
Developers in measured tubes and pack- 
ages were extremely convenient. Liquid 
developers were the reverse. I used with 
some sticcess a candle lantern having a ruby 
chimney. It packed into a small space and 
was convenient to set up. It had the de- 
fect, however, of not feeding regularly. 
The wax had a trick of running down into 
the feeding spring tube, and it did not burn 
quite long enough without a change of 
candle. To have to change a candle just at 
a critical moment is a serious annoyance, 
especially when the greatest care must be 
taken that wet fingers do not touch the 
heated chimney. My chimney was soon 
cracked, though not seriously. Finally it 
was broken by the heat, luckily at a time 
when my work had progressed sufficiently 
to prevent the accident from being serious. 
A few minutes sooner, and the stream of 
light would have spoiled a roll of films. 
I tried another candle lamp—a triangu- 
lar box with ruby front. It had a tendency 
to leak at the joints, and the reflected heat. 
from the tin sides melted one side of the 
candle, making it burn unevenly. Another 
defect it had was that the wax would run 
down and choke up the air holes at the 
493 
bottom. It had to be cleaned every time 
before being used. A candle can be bought 
anywhere, and it is so easy and clean to 
carry that as an illuminant it possesses 
many advantages over oi]. With all the 
disadvantages of candle lamps, I found 
them better than oil lamps for camp work. 
Many men improvised lanterns of orange 
paper, and much good work was done with 
them, but the inconvenience of pinning 
paper together and preventing leakage of 
light is enough to warrant the invention of 
a really good collapsible candle lantern for 
travellers’ use. 
One of the handiest pieces of apparatus 
I found was a folding washing basket for 
plates which I bought in Havana. It was 
of French manufacture. Made of narrow 
strips of zinc about 1-16 inch thick and 
jointed together, it could be opened out to 
accommodate plates of any size up to 
5x7. It held 24, back to back. When 
folded it occupied a space about 4x3x2 
inches. Washing, an operation previously 
looked on with apprehension, ceased to 
have terrors, and I advise any one using 
plates to get something of the kind. 
TI should like to hear, through REcREA- 
TION, from some others who did work in 
the field under adverse conditions. 

HISTORY OF THE 1st PRIZE WINNER. 
Mr. J. E. Tylor, who won first prize, 
writes thus of his “Interrupted Feast’: 
I send you herewith 2 negatives, the 
coon in the tree and ‘The Interrupted 
Feast.” I have carried a 7 pound camera 
miles and miles over rugged and difficult 
country, in additios to gun and other nec- 
essaries, hoping to get some unusual and 
entertaining view; but hope was the sum 
total of many a trip. Then again, I have 
been more successful. 
I am making lantern slides of some of 
my best negatives, and last spring illus- 
trated on the screen a little talk entitled, 
“Hunting with a Camera,” which is to be 
repeated after I make additions. 
“The Interrupted Feast’ is a picture of 
a bald eagle, with a rabbit in its talons. As 
these birds only have white head and tail 
at 4 years old, the present specimen, being 
entirely in the gray stage, is evidently a 
younger bird. It is in the act of flying 
from the tree, carrying its prey with it. 
I had repeatedly visited that tree, and 
the opportunity of catching the bird with 
kodak seemed a forlorn hope. However, 
a nearby fence, with ditch alongside, lined 
with weeds and bushes, made an excellent 
hiding place from which the present pic- 
ture was secured. 
ieee vier Seether 
I fully agree with the judges in pro- 
