446 POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



specimens, frequently taken in their natural haunts, that for accu- 

 racy and beauty defy criticism. 



Upon the whole, the mixture of feelings is by no means pleas- 

 urable when he comes to examine, for instance, some of the drawings 

 of mice he had the temerity to publish in a popular journal some 

 dozen or more years ago, that came before the eyes of a very large 

 constituency of readers and observers. Yet he can remember very 

 well the time and labor that were expended in attempts to faithfully 

 portray those beautiful little animals, so difficult of correct portrayal. 

 Unsatisfactory in the extreme were the results, and disappointment, 

 the sole reward. How very differently does the camera do its work I 

 Not so very long ago, having captured a fine living specimen of the 

 common white-footed or deer mouse, the attempt was made tO' 

 photograph this, one of the gentlest and prettiest little creatures in 

 Nature. A result was obtained far exceeding the most sanguine 

 expectations of the operator. Having placed an ear of ripe yellow 

 corn, with husk and silk attached, the subject was induced to jump 

 from the hand on to this as a perch. No sooner was this feat accom- 

 plished than he ran up and down it in a very excited, not to say 

 interesting, manner. Already the ear of corn had been focused upon 

 the ground glass of the camera box, and a holder armed with a very 

 sensitive five-by-eight plate been duly placed in position. After 

 having satisfied himself upon the state of things, my mouse suddenly 

 paused and balanced himself to jump off, and if possible gain his 

 liberty. In this attitude, and offering an opportunity not to be lost, 

 an instantaneous exposure was made, and the plate removed to the 

 dark room and developed. 



This entire operation took no more than half an hour, and yet the 

 outcome of the achievement was a picture of surpassing interest 

 and accuracy, and one that even a rapid artist could not have pro- 

 duced in less time than a day, and then not have succeeded any- 

 thing like as well. A reproduction of this picture is shown in 

 rig. 1, which for animation and fidelity to Nature would be hard 

 to equal. 



Similar and equally successful photographs have been produced 

 by the writer of other species of mice, of young opossums, of the 

 muskrat, and several other mammals. With respect to birds it may 

 be said, by employing the same means in the same way, photographic 

 pictures have been secured of upward of fifty species of those forms 

 occurring in our United States avifauna. A certain proportion of 

 these are of adult individuals, while many others are of nests con- 

 taining young in various stages of development. Sometimes old 

 birds, male and female, were secured together, in the most natural 

 attitudes upon the same limb, as in the case of cedar birds, and a life- 



