Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 90.djvu/937

 �4FOR PRACTICAX WORKERS

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��Electrically Operated Camera- Shutter for Photographing Birds

IX the attempt to photograph small wild animal life, particularly birds, it is necessary to have some means of operating

��sons on some suitable food supplied for the purpose.

There are three methods now in general use for operating the shutter. In one a string is attached to the shutter lever and simply pulled at the opportune moment.

���A brown creep- er partaking of a free lunch put ^ on a fence post

��The magnets are attached to the camera bed with clamps where they operate the shutter release

��the camera from a distance. Many meth- ods have been tried with varying success, but the method described herein is conceded to be the best. The idea is simply to focus the cam- era on a spot ^\here from pre- ious observa- tion the birds are known to come, and to have some means of operat- ing the shutter from a distance.

�����A chickadee near its nest with a bill full of grubs and a tufted titmouse on a post, attracted by suet

��The spool for carrying the flexible cord incloses the battery for oper- ating the magnetic shutter release

��While fairly good, this is difficult to work at long distances and has the disadvantage of

being liable to be operated by outside forces, such as wind- blown twigs. A long tube at- tached to the pneumatic re- lease lacks the above disad- vantage but is not instantane- ous in its action. Besides, the rubber will, in a short time, be-

��In the springtime the best places to focus come hard and useless from lying on the are On or near the nests, and in other sea- damp ground and may be easily damaged in

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