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THE GUIDE TO NATURE 



Try Photographing the Cat. 

 When you can find nothing else to do 

 with your camera, when you no longer 

 care to visit the woods or the fields or the 

 marshes for some of the smaller objects 

 to be found there, when you have taken 

 the portraits of your friends, brothers 

 and sisters, uncles, cousins and aunts; 

 when the dog has posed until he is tired 

 of it. try photographing a cat. 



ever will be formulated. Everything, 

 aside from the truly classic, may be im- 

 proved. Of course you will naturally be- 

 gin with the cat in the act of taking her 

 usual meal, or with two interviewing 

 each other, and in various similar cat-like 

 actions. Perhaps all this is easy. But 

 try it and see. When you have done 

 these things well, have the cat open her 

 mouth and speak to you. But do not 



JUST FOR A STARTER— YET NOT SO EASY AS IT MAY SEEM. 



But perhaps you will say, "That is the 

 simplest of all ; long months ago I passed 

 the cat stage in my photographic career. 

 Now I want to get things in nature that 

 are really worth while." 



But hold on a minute ; even the sim- 

 plest thing can be done a little better than 

 it has yet been done. Some one has said 

 that the classic is only general informa- 

 tion expressed in a form more nearly 

 perfect than any in which it has been or 



prolong the process or she will get so 

 tired, or be so impressed by the ludicrous- 

 ness of the situation that she will open 

 her mouth to its greatest extent. If, 

 however, you want to give her a jollifica- 

 tion and to reward her for her patience, 

 hand her a good bottle of highball and 

 see how she will hold it and gaze at it 

 and lovingly draw it to herself and take 

 a prolonged drink. 



"But hold on. Do you really mean this? 



