THE PHOTOGRAPHY OF REPTILES. 45 



a reasonably large direct photograph of a small animal, 

 stopping down, and hence time exposure, is essential. 

 The breathing of reptiles is, in times of distress or 

 agitation, of a most violent character. In the case of 

 snakes, this is complicated by the fact that it is im- 

 possible to determine in which particular convolution 

 such violent breathing is going to start. In the case 

 of batrachians the breathing is of a regular character at 

 irregular intervals. For instance, the writer has ob- 

 served in the case of a toad, two short gasps, a long 

 gasp, and a pause of varying duration, after which the 

 first movement is repeated. This pause is obviously 

 what the photographer should wait for, but he should 

 nevertheless be prepared, and resigned, to lose two or 

 three plates before he can give the full exposure neces- 

 sary. With the lizards the breathing is not of so 

 obvious a character ; but the photographic gain is 

 unfortunately fully counterbalanced by their greater 

 restlessness. 



Our third difficulty lies in the tendency of reptiles 

 to adopt their characteristic attitudes either mo- 

 mentarily, when in motion, or under cover, when at 

 rest. It is the natural outcome of a life of apprehension. 

 To take some instances the coiled up, resting position 

 of the grass snake and coronella occurs when the creature 

 is completely under cover and photographically im- 

 possible. The lizard sunning on the stone strikes delight- 

 ful attitudes, but seldom maintains them long enough 

 to have them perpetuated. Similarly, the whole life of 

 newts seems to be dominated by the spirit of unrest. 



