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OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE WISCONSIN, ILLINOIS AND MICHIGAN AUDUBON SOCIETIES 
One Year 25 Cents Single Copy 5 Cents 
Published by the Wisconsin Audubon Society at Madison, Wisconsin 
Entered as second class matter August 23, 1909, at Madison, Wis., under the act of Congress of March 3, 1879 
VOL. XIV ‘OCTOBER, 1912 NO. 2 
HUNTING WITH A CAMERA 
J. C. Elsom, M. D. 
They say that any old invalid can 
shoot a bird, but that it takes a real live 
person to take the bird’s picture. "With 
this, I fully agree; and I have always 
thought that for real fun, and skill, 
with no after regrets, bird photography 
far surpasses hunting with a gun. The 
permanent record we may secure by 
means of the camera is likely to be valu¬ 
able, and a source of pleasure ever after¬ 
ward; and instead of a poor dead bird, 
we have a pleasing portrait, while our 
subject is left at liberty to pursue life 
and happiness and to accomplish his 
useful work, undisturbed and unin¬ 
jured. Besides, in order to do success¬ 
ful bird photography, we must become 
somewhat intimately acquainted with 
our subject, must know liis habits, some- 
tliino* of his liomelife, and his individual 
peculiarities. And this intimate ac¬ 
quaintanceship, if not mutually pleas¬ 
ant, is certainly helpful to the bird-pho¬ 
tographer, and necessarily increases his 
love and admiration for his feathered 
subjects. 
Unlimited patience is one of the re¬ 
quisites of the camera hunter; and pa¬ 
tience is a good quality to cultivate. 
One must have plenty of time, too; we 
can by no means regulate the comings 
and goings of our bird friends, or their 
poses. Some of the successful bird pho¬ 
tographers have spent hours, and some¬ 
times days of watching for the psycho¬ 
logical moment at which to press the 
bulb of their camera. But the time spent 
is often worth while; and we can have 
the satisfaction of knowing that the pic¬ 
ture we have taken has never been du¬ 
plicated, and perhaps possesses a scien¬ 
tific value. 
The equipment for work of this kind 
need not be elaborate, or expensive. 
Any good camera will do, of the fold¬ 
ing type, with good rectilinear lens, and 
ground glass for accurate focusing. The 
ordinary box fixed focus camera will 
