Photo by George Shiras, 3rd 



PHOTOGRAPH 01? A FI^ASHI^IGHT SCi:NE 



In order to show what a flashlight scene looks like, the author placed a camera, facing 

 the flashlight, with the object to be photographed between the camera and the flashlight. 

 The great, white ball of light to the left is the exploding powder, while the coon, silhouetted 

 against the light, is seen pulling on the string. 



During the day not a beaver was seen, 

 but late in the afternoon a pair of musk- 

 rats was busily engaged at work near the 

 edge of the overflowed meadow erecting 

 their smaller home, thus showing a keen 

 appreciation of the slack water afforded 

 by the dam built by their larger kin. Be- 

 fore dark the water had fallen six inches 

 below the rim of the dam, and this, I felt 

 sure, would be sufficient notice to the 

 watchful beaver. 



Across the break in the dam I placed a 

 birch branch, tying the flashlight string 

 to it, with the idea that the beaver, after 

 an inspection of the damaged part, would 

 pull the branch aside on beginning the 

 repairs, and thus fire the flash. 



It was not until after midnight that I 

 saw a faint flutter of light on the white 

 canvas roof, followed almost immedi- 

 ately by the boom of the flashlight. In 

 the morning it was found that a beaver 

 had cut the birch branch in two, and 

 while pushing one piece aside the flash 



was discharged. This discouraged fur- 

 ther efforts, and the beaver retired to 

 his wigwam to report an extraordinary 

 condition of affairs both at the dam and 

 on shore. 



But not all such pictures are success- 

 ful, for there are several complications 

 in night photography which may rob one 

 of his pictured game. With great care 

 the negative was developed, and there, in 

 the center of the plate, appeared the 

 sturdy figure of the beaver, its coat glis- 

 tening in the brilliant artificial light, 

 while the clear waters of the meadow 

 stream permitted the lens to show the 

 flattened tail beneath the surface of this 

 woodland pool (see page 803). 



BIRDS WII.I. TAKK their own PICTURE:S 



Most birds are photographed about 

 their nests, or in the great rookeries and 

 breeding resorts of the sea-coast and in- 

 land waters, when the domestic duties of 

 the parents or when the fearlessness 



800 



