Tlif taking of the plititograi)hs is not, Iiowover, tlie liardest work of 

 monster ])hotoi;ra|)hint;, altiioiiuli jK-rhaps the liottest, for in summer it is no 

 joke to swelter under a foeusiu" cloth for liaif an hour at a time, aiiii the 

 focusinji- itself is hard on the eyes. It is the mounting' of tiie lieasts which 

 wears upon one's nerves, and liere is where the woman's skill conies, for Mrs. 

 Fainhiid learned the art of insect taxidermy and nuiity of tin- most lifelike 

 ])hotographs in the hook were mounted hy her. 



It has been a source of keen satisfaction to find, upon showing the results 

 to jirofessional entomologists, that many of them did not realize that the in- 

 sects were not alive when jihotographed. Hut. although they were not alive, 

 they had ju.st recently been put to sli'ep with ether, for we soon discovered 

 that to get a lifelike |)hofograph one must ])liotograpli a monster at once, w itli- 

 in half an hour after death, the sooner the better. 



Many ways of mounting were tried, but none were so succes.sful as the 

 following; ro\er the toj> of a snudi block of wootl with a thin, even coating 

 of ])arafKu or ordinary candle wax by letting the drii)])ings of the candle fall 

 ni)on it. Pick a large leaf and turn its u])i)er surface down n|)on the wax. be- 

 fore it cools, anil h't it stick there; this will gi\-e a natural looking ground for 

 the insect to stand ui)on. Hold the insect over the block of wood and arrange 

 the legs in as natural a iiosition as yon can with a long needle or fine dental 

 tool. Then fasten each foot in place by heating the needle in the candle flame 

 and jiricking a hole in the leaf just under each foot so that the wax will come 

 U]) through the leaf and hold it fast. 



This niouutiug is not so simi)le as it seems, and. until one has actually ex- 

 perienced it, he can have no idea of the ijerversity of these six-legged beasts. 

 The way the contracting muscles of a grasshop|)er',s back legs will pull the 

 other four legs loos<'. or the wa>- the hornet will refuse to hold its head uj), 

 or the way long flexible antenna' will droop are exasperations which lead 

 straight to i)rofanity. unless one is very careful. 



The whole thing is a game of (piickness, ingenuity and |)atient skill, for so 

 many things must be watchetl at once. The wilting insect cannot wait, the 

 sunlight shifts, clouds drift across the sun and then, just as everything is in 

 readiness, a breeze springs up which stirs the creature's wings and the whole 

 thing has to be given up. 



The pioneer in this field of photography is Dr. \. A. Cobii. for it is he who 

 first showed what the face of a fly looks like. His suggestions are what hrst 

 encouraged me to take up the work, although the method finally used l>y me 

 is fpiite different from that which he em])loyed. I substituted the long hori- 

 zontal camera and the long focus lens for his \ertical bellows an<l short focus 

 lens, believing that for larger creatures I get a greater dei)th of focus and more 

 lifelike appearance. 



After my first mild success, that critical period ln^yond which so many ex- 

 periments never go. three friends came to the rescue with their enthusiastic 

 appro^ al and encouragement and I desire that their names be connected with 



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