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NATURE STUDY REVIEW [10:2— Feb., 1914 



For the purpose of coloring photographs of specimens of any 

 kind — botanical or zoological — I use the Japanese aniline colors 

 which come on the pages of a little book and are readily dissolved 

 for use. My method with examples of this class of work have 

 recently been published in the most artistic manner in The Photo- 

 graphic Times of New York City (August, 19 13). The specimens 

 used here were the heads of a Toucan and a Mino bird, and in 

 photographing them I made the attempt to have the pictures 

 appear as nearly life-like as possible. Then, too, one should color 

 the photogi'aphs with the specimens before one and prior to any 



post-mortem changes taking place in 

 the latter, during which the natural 

 colors may become more or less 

 changed. I think now that a slight 

 change had taken place in the beak of 

 the aforesaid Toucan, and as I repro- 

 duced it, it is somewhat darker than 

 in life. One should be very careful 

 about this, for erroneous ideas may be 

 put into the minds of the readers, 

 which is always very unfortunate and 

 future rectification of them is difficult. 

 Often the dead bodies of your 

 specimens m.ay be posed in attitudes 

 more or less life-like for the purposes of 

 photographing them. When such 

 results are successful, the pictures 

 have an added interest and may frequently be employed in 

 pictorial zoology with effect. They may likewise be colored, as 

 pointed out above, and if the whole be well done, a portrait may 

 be produced, which, in not a few particulars — as in the general 

 contour of the fonn given, the topographical characters and so 

 on — will be much nearer nature than many of the illustrations 

 we see. 



To illustrate this feature of my subject, I select from my 

 collection a photograph I made last month of a dead parrot — one 

 of the Brazilian species — which had com.e into my possession. 

 This is reproduced here as Fig. 2. It gives a very good idea of 

 this particular species, and will be still more effective when the 

 photograph is correctly colored. Birds lend themselves better 



Fig II. A Cuban Parrot {Amazona 

 Cucocephala) . Reproduction of a 

 photograph of the dead bird. 

 Greatly reduced. By the author. 



