DECORATIVE NATURAL HISTORY WORK. 107 



nature can sometimes be, one has only to study the 

 works of the Japanese. They are deeply interesting to 

 the photographer, because they are " photographic " in 

 the best sense of the word. The writer has before him 

 several examples of small mammals, fishes, and birds. 

 All are distinguished by purity of line and fidelity to 

 natural types. The types are sometimes very humble 

 the commonest of creatures, the commonest of plants- 





Female Sand Lizard. 



but each is handled with a rare discrimination. The 

 surroundings are in perfect accord with the subject ; 

 the subject itself, even though it be a mere sketch, is 

 convincing, and one cannot but feel that here is the 

 work of men who, even if they are not naturalists, are at 

 any rate devoted students of nature. Between those 

 who would discover beauty in nature and those who 

 would supply it, there is all the photographic difference 

 in the world. 



