THE CAMERA 



5i3 



by sixteen by five inches with zinc bot- 

 tom and frame. The glass must be well 

 selected, thin, and entirely free from all 

 blemishes of any description. Inside, 

 the bottom should be covered with 

 about an inch and three-quarters of 

 perfectly clean sand and small pebbles, 

 in which may be anchored a pretty bit 

 of pond weed with a small, shapely 

 stone or two to hold it in place. Some- 

 times such an aquarium may be placed 

 where a sky background is commanded, 

 as on a broad window sill upstairs, or 

 some elevated point out-of-doors where 



desire to photograph. Focus on some 

 point within the aquarium opposite the 

 middle of the front glass and far 

 enough above the bottom so as to in- 

 clude the pond weed, rock, pebbles, 

 etc., to give a natural appearance in the 

 resulting negative. This is the point 

 you desire your fish to pass or come to 

 as it swims about. As it does come 

 there two or three times, test your 

 focusing to the finest possible sharp- 

 ness on the ground glass. Next set 

 your shutter, gauging the speed to the 

 degree of activity of your fish, and 





YOUNG OF SNOWY GROUPER (EPINEPHELUS NIVEATUS). 



only the sky can be seen through it. 

 If neither of these are convenient,- use a 

 big sheet of clean white blotting paper 

 for a background. In any case be sure 

 that no reflections are in evidence on 

 any of the glass sides, a fact you can 

 satisfy yourself of by studying it 

 through the camera. The latter wants 

 to be a good one, with a tripod, and the 

 very best lens you can afford. Now 

 you are ready to introduce the fish you 



then wait patiently for it to come to the 

 selected point within the aquarium. 

 Do not be in a hurry, let the specimen 

 quiet clown as much as possible ; if it 

 be an accommodating fish the time will 

 come when it will swim to the desired 

 point with the required deliberation. 

 This is your opportunity — make the ex- 

 posure. A few failures must not dis- 

 courage you ; keep at it until you have 

 some results to show that are worth 



