192 



Popular Science Monthly 



problem. In many cases all that is neces- 

 sary is to balance the insect carefully 

 against some object, as was done with 

 the cigarette smoker. In other cases a 

 prop of some sort will be required, and 

 this may be thrust into the body and 

 then into the moss. A fine wire is excel- 

 lent for this purpose. Of course the wire 

 must be carefully hidden. 



In most of ni}' pictures the foreground 

 consists of some species of moss. This 

 can be found growing in abundance in 

 rocky localities or in low swampy woods. 

 A great many varieties exist, so that 

 sameness in one's pictures may be 

 avoided. Where bushes are needed to 

 break the monotony of the landscape 

 some kind of lichen may be employed. 

 The kind which I use is found in rocky 

 localities growing in dense masses many 

 feet in circumference. By carefully 

 separating a small portion from the 

 mass, an excellent imitation of under- 

 brush will be obtained. 



My backgrounds are, as a rule, white, 

 as this seems to set off the insects to 

 best adv^antage. A light blue sheet of 

 paper is employed for the purpose, blue 

 photographing white. White paper 

 should not be used as it is apt to reflect 

 too much white light into the camera 

 and produce a fogging of the plate. 



Occasionally clouds will be found to 

 add interest to a picture, and these may 

 be printed in from a separate cloud 

 negative made for the purpose. It is 

 well to have a dozen or more such 

 negatives on hand, so that a repetition 

 of the same cloud effect may be avoided. 



Now let us consider the production of 

 the pictures one by one. I can perhaps 

 serve the reader best by quoting some of 

 the data recorded in my note book. 



"An Old Salt." — Staged in a saucer of 

 water. Backgrountl, moss. Canoe, pea- 

 pod. Paddle carved out of wot)cl. Clouds 

 printed in. Plate, Hammer's E.xfast 

 Ortho. Time of exposure, 30 seconds, 

 F:36, near west window, sun bright, 

 2:30 P. M., August. Pyro tank devel- 

 oper. Cyko enlargement. 



"At the Photographer's." — Camera, 

 small cube of wood, dii)|)ed in ink. Lens, 

 small section of hay cut at one of the 

 joints. Trii)od, three fine wires thrust 

 into the camt-ra, and fine stalks of hay 

 slipped o\er wires. ( )tlu'r data as before. 



^^ 



A Tool for Buffing, Drilling and 

 Grinding Metal Surfaces 



ANDPAPERING and polishing un- 

 vZ5 wieldy or immovable objects is a 

 task, which, done by hand, requires a 

 vast expenditure of time and muscular 

 effort. Portable electric grinders and 

 buffers have been perfected to do the 

 same work in a fraction of the time and 

 with results that exceed the finest of 

 hand work. 



A light, compact electric motor on a 

 no-tipping pedestal is provided with a 

 handle by which it is easily carried and 

 with a long cable that is attached to the 

 nearest electric light socket. A snap 

 switch on the side of the motor controls 

 the current supply. Power to turn the 

 buffer or grinder is .supplied through a 

 long, flexible tube. 



The instrument has found its way into 

 a variety of interesting u.ses. Some ada|i- 

 tations of it are employed in automoliile 

 garages for polishing brass and enameled 

 surfaces. Crevices which could only be 

 reached with difficult\' are cleaned out in 

 an instant by the whirring disk. This tool 

 finds itself welcome in workshops where 

 odd and difificult jobs such as die-sinking, 

 drilling, butting, grinding and those of 

 similar nature are daily encountered. 

 Another form of the tool helps in lighten- 

 ing the task of the floor-lajer. In this 

 case, the motor is attached to the ceiling 

 and the flexible tube operated from the 

 end of a long pivoted arm. Among the 

 other unique applications of the buffer 

 and grinder are those of cleansing house- 

 hold utensils, signs on the front of 

 buildings and performing other tasks of 

 an equally diversified nature. 



Pneumatic Gun with a 

 Dynamite Shell 



A BALTIMORE man has lai.l before 

 the navy otticials the plans for a 

 pneumatic gun with a dynamite shell. 

 It is said that a test of the gun is shortly 

 to be made. The inventor began work- 

 ing on his invention some months before 

 the war started, and onI\- comi^leted it 

 last summer. The latest model is a 

 20-pounder, which he has made adjusta- 

 ble to hurl a dynamite bomb as far 

 as 22 miles. 



