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86 VOL. XI A PROBLEM IN INDETERMINATES By P. M. SILLOWAY WITH THREE PHOTOS BY THE AUTHOR IVEN: a man with a hobby; a box filled with cotton; a camera; and a bright day in the collecting season. Question: what will be the probable results? To the plain, matter-of-fact citizen, whose soul is bound by the chains of conventionality and commercialism, the problem seems impossible and well-nigh incomprehensible. In the first place he can not understand how a man, TYPICAL NESTING SITE OF THE LoNG-BILLED CURLEW a full-grown,. sensible man, can have a hobby. If at length, however, it finally dawns upon him that a man can have a hobby and still be a man, the aforesaid citizen can not pos- sibly comprehend the box of cotton. The idea that a grown- up man should be seen wan- dering over the prairie or along streamside or thru the woods with a box of cotton (and intentions not so evi- dent), is to the aforesaid citi- zen prima faele conviction of deep-seated dementia. And the camera, why what on earth is there to be seen worth pho- tographing? The bare idea of a man going around photo- graphing birds' nests---what can you get out of it? And the bright day in the collect- ing season--what has that to do with the question? And so the problem assumes hope- less proportions. And yet to you, gentle read- er--you who have a hobby yourself, you whose soul is free to go forth from its sordid surroundings and occasionally invigorate itself by drinking at nature's fountain, you who once at least were not ashamed to be seen afield with a cigar box tuckt under your arm or at least a baking powder can stowed away in your coat pocket, you who appreciate somewhat of the pleas- ures of kodaking and picture-making, you who see everywhere around you many things worth photographing, you who love the birds and flowess and the sunshine and the breezes--to you the problem is not only comprehensible and possible, but easy. Let us consider one solution of it. It happened last spring that a stranger came to our town--a man with a hobby. Upon his inquiry for anybody in town to sympathize with him, he was