Photo by George Sliiras, 3rd 



A DOK THAT TOOK ITS OWN PICTURE: A DOZEN TIMES 



"After taking the third picture, it was impossible to get the deer to spring the flashlight; 

 for, although unquestionably the black silk thread was invisible at night, a slight pressure 

 on the upper limb.s was noticed immediately and the deer retreated. The abundance of 

 porcupines and rabbits prevented placing the thread closer to the ground. To meet this 

 difficulty, the leaves of a freshly cut bush were saturated with salt water, and when the deer 

 pushed into it the pressure of the thread was unnoticed until too late" (see text, page '7']']^. 



DAYI^IGHT PICTURES 



As daylight photography of deer usu- 

 ally requires direct sunlight, with the 

 animal free from interfering brush, it is 

 easy to understand how a close approach 

 on foot is difficult, although in a canoe 

 one may frequently surprise a deer at 

 a short bend in a stream or often get 

 excellent pictures at close range when 

 hiding in a favorably located blind. 



Such pictures of deer are best ob- 

 tained in the early summer months, when 

 seeking their favorite aquatic plants or 

 going to water-courses to escape the 

 flies. Then they are easily located and 

 can be taken in exposed situations, where 

 the illumination is good and no brush or 

 trees cut off the view of the camera. 



It was not long after discovering the 

 difficulty of getting within photographic 

 distance of deer, whether in a canoe or 

 on foot, that the idea suggested itself of 

 concealing a camera 25 feet from a run- 

 way or near a narrow portion of the 

 shore, so that a thread running from the 

 shutter to a stake, tree, or log would re- 

 sult in a picture if any animals passed 

 by. Even then, when one might be miles 

 away, the lingering rcent from the much- 

 handled and near-by camera required 

 the wind to be favorable when selecting 

 a place. Elk, moose, or caribou will 

 push against and generally break an in- 

 tervening thread, but a white-tail deer 

 in many cases will retreat the instant it 

 feels the slightest pressure on the breast 



769 



