NATURE PHOTOGRAPHY 



83 



hoppers eternal- 

 ly move their 

 antennas to and 

 fro ; large moths 

 and some but- 

 terflies vibrate 

 their wings for 

 as much as 

 twenty minutes 

 at a time, and 

 beetles "walk 

 out of the pic- 

 ture" without so 

 much as asking 

 your permission. 

 Still, with pa- 

 tience and prac- 

 tice you will of- 

 ten obtain fine 

 results, and com- 

 mand prizes 

 which it surely 

 will be a great 

 s a t i sfaction to 

 have s e c u red. 



Occasionally you may "kill two birds with one stone" 

 and get a photograph giving an excellent picture of some 

 desirable insect, resting on a plant, or on part of one, 

 of equal value to science. A good example of this is 

 here shown in Figure 5. Note how a direct lateral view 

 of the grasshopper was obtained, and that it shows not 

 the slightest movement, especially in the delicate 

 antennae that projects from between the eyes. The 

 negative from which this illustration was made gives 

 this insect the size of life. Should the plant be one 



A DIFFICULT SUBJECT 



Figure II The Blue-tailed Skink is one of our American Lizarls, an extremely difficult species to photograph when alive on 



account of the lightning rapidity of its movements. 



upon which the insect feeds, so much the better, for this 

 adds greatly to its value. Figure 8 offers an excellent 

 example of this, where we note our common grape- 

 vine beetle the six-spot Pelidnota on the leaf of a 

 grape-vine, and we are all familiar with this combina- 

 tion. With the proper requirements at hand, and 

 with patience and skill, the same result could have 

 been attained in the heart of a Brazilian forest and 

 the beetle and plant, upon a leaf of which the insect 

 is resting, might both have been totally new to science. 



STELLION LIZARD 



Figure 12. These big, sluggish lizards offer easy subjects for the experienced photographer, but their pictures are none the less valuable on that 

 account. This is a fine specimen of the Stellion of A'.ia (Agama stetlio). These lizards are extremely susceptible to the effects of cold. 



