PHOTOGRAPHY OF MAMMALS AND BIRDS. 41 



operations were postponed till the following day. On 

 the following day, however, there was no rat. His method 

 of escape was ingenious. The writer had been curious 

 to know if a rat could gnaw his way out in the course of 

 a single night. The plan this rat adopted, however, 

 was to force asunder the two covering panes of glass, in 

 spite of the weight of a brick on each, and escape 

 between them, leaving a wedge-shaped opening across 

 the middle of the box. It is the writer's invariable 

 custom to set his sitters at liberty after they have been 

 immortalised. In this instance he could not help 

 admiring the ingenuity with which his intentions had 

 been anticipated. 



The picture of the dormouse, on page 32, was taken 

 some fifteen years back. To the best of the writer's 

 recollection this particular specimen was secured when 

 young and tamed. The photograph gives a fair repre- 

 sentation of a dormouse, but is spoilt by the very 

 unsuitable surroundings. Mice of all kinds are excel- 

 lent subjects for the camera ; they must be taken life- 

 size to make a picture of any value, not only because 

 they will barely fill a quarter-plate, but also because 

 when the image on the negative is a very minute one, 

 there is a risk of entirely losing the delicate shadows on 

 the fur, which contrast so beautifully with their brilliant 

 eyes. Fur of really fine texture is by no means easy to 

 render satisfactorily. Much will depend on the lighting, 

 but more on correct exposure. The result of a sharply 

 focussed snapshot will almost always be too hard. 



