Vol. XXIV. 1 
1924 J 
Stray Feathers 
149 
Stray Feathers. 
Efficiency of Camouflage. —In connection with the inter¬ 
esting note of Mr. R. T. Littlejohns in the April issue of The 
Emu under the heading of “The Efficiency of Camouflage,” may 
1 be permitted to state that I have found one or two forms of 
simple camouflage to work satisfactorily where it was necessary 
to photograph shy birds, and that fairly good pictures have been 
secured as a result. For instance, when I commenced the 
photography of birds about three years ago, I used a covering 
made of khaki cloth, blotched with ink and decorated with green 
linen, into which I fitted the camera, a lens hole being left, of 
course. This proved satisfactory for most of the smaller kinds 
of birds I attempted to photograph, and also served to keep out 
any light that might otherwise have found its way to the plate 
through long exposure of the camera in the bright sunlight. 
After a time I effected a little better disguise by tying leaves 
and grass to the tripod legs, and almost turning the whole outfit 
into a bush. The success of this can be gauged from the fact 
that the birds often perched on top of it instead of on the point 
where I desired them. Until I camouflaged the camera in this 
way I achieved no success with such birds as the Tang ( Epthi- 
anura) and the Pipit or Ground Lark, and I spent many weary 
hours waiting for the birds to return to their nests. By painting 
the tripod in such a manner that it harmonised with the sur¬ 
roundings, particularly bushes and trees with the sunlight shining 
through in patches, I have had a fair measure of success among 
certain birds, but in the tree tops I discard the tripod and rope 
the camera to the branches or build a small structure to carry 
it quite free from vibration. While I have not gone into the 
more elaborate forms of camouflage, such as are used in other 
parts of the world, where men make bird photography a pro¬ 
fession, I have employed for the purpose of photographing 
Banded Plovers a small hiding tent, constructed of bags, with 
which I achieved a certain amount of success. The tent is 
about 4ft. 6in. long, 3ft. high, and a similar measurement in 
width, with the opening at one end and at the opposite end two 
holes, one for the lens of the camera and the other for observation 
purposes. This looks very conspicuous out in an open field where 
the Plover usually nest, and one would imagine that not a bird 
would come within miles of it, but I found that the birds grew 
accustomed to it very quickly, and no difficulty was experienced 
in picturing them at the nest. On the sides of rocky hills, 
where the Ground-bird ( Cinclosoma ) nests, I have .occasionally 
placed the camera close to the ground without the tripod among 
a heap of stones, but the Ground-bird is an exceedingly shy 
species, and no success has yet come my way. I am inclined to 
imagine that its moving reflection in the lens of the camera—a 
conclusion suggested by Mr. Littlejohns—has been responsible 
for my failure to secure its picture. — M. S. R. Sharland, 
R.A.O.U., Hobart. 
