FISH PHOTOGRAPHY AT HOME 187 
method of showing the shape and general outline of a 
fish, for by this means one can obtain whatever amount 
of contrast and clearness one may desire. But for all 
other forms of fish photography, the pond—or, failing 
the pond, a tank, which works on the same principle— 
is by far the most satisfactory, for the following reasons : 
the fish is iluminated as in nature, and as he does not 
see the photographer he is not disturbed. In the pond, 
as already stated, the conditions so nearly simulate the 
usual surroundings of most fish that they very soon are 
quite at home. From a photographer’s point of view, 
photography in the dark chamber of the observation 
pond is child’s play as compared with photography in 
a tank, for reflection is not a hampering factor, and the 
fish being at home swims leisurely about. 
I have described how the attitudes of the perch on 
the plate facing p. 6 were only obtained after considerable 
trouble. In contrast with this I here show a photograph 
of a perch in an attitude of alarm swimming towards 
the dark chamber in the pond. This photograph was 
taken in the early morning, before breakfast ; was the 
only negative exposed ; and was obtained after watching 
for ten minutes. The cause of alarm was that the little 
perch had seized a worm before a large rainbow trout 
could get at it, and the rainbow had been chasing the 
perch. 
Photographs of colour arrangements and markings 
on fish as concealing factors are valueless, except when 
taken with the fish illiminated as in nature, and I have 
