4 o PHOTOGRAPHY FOR NATURALISTS. 



shutter, a flap one lightly fastened to the lens mount with 

 three screws, and torn it off. Having done this, he 

 settled down in an admirable position at the farther 

 end of the box. It was the first chance of focussing, 

 and was taken advantage of. Unhappily, however, 

 the only means of making the exposure was inside with 

 the rat. The problem was how to secure the shutter, 

 without allowing the rat to escape and bite en passant. 

 This difficulty suggested the use of the third pane ot 

 glass It had to be cut to fit. and so about half-an- 

 hour was wasted. Meanwhile the rat was mauling the 

 shutter. The use of the supplementary pane enabled 

 the writer to secure the shutter, and also to clean 

 the top glasses, one at a time. Hostilities then 

 recommenced, and after considerable lapse of time, 

 threequarters of the rat was secured in focus, the 

 remaining quarter, which included a gracefully curled 

 tail, being just outside the plate. Forgetting for the 

 moment that the lens mount was practically fixed, the 

 writer proceeded to swing round the tripod so as to 

 point the lens more to the right. The result, which 

 ought to have been foreseen, was that the camera 

 front w r as pulled bodily off. The rat almost laughed. 

 Once again the third pane was inserted, and an hour 

 spent in repairing damages. Finally, but not until 

 after several failures, the picture on page 30 was 

 secured a picture whose value, as a natural history 

 study, is discounted by the animal's obvious terror. 



The lens hole was then boarded over, a brick was 

 placed on each of the cover glasses, and further 



