The Eastern Congo 



lions, and all kinds of game, and — sometimes with a patience 

 that astonished myself — waited for the psychological moment 

 when certain butterflies were grouping themselves to the 

 best advantage. 



My most successful pictures, and those that attracted 

 most attention when I lectured with them, were a solitary 

 old bull buffalo, elephants on the Semhki River, a herd of 

 hippo racing through the water, the eruptive shaft of the 

 Niragongo volcano, alpine vegetation on the Ruwenzori 

 mountains, and the snow-capped Stanley peak, the Ituri 

 River scenery, the Watusi dances, the pygmies and insects. 



I had the finest opportunity to film a troop of gorillas 

 that ever fell to the lot of man, but it is impossible to shoot 

 animals and film them at the same time — it must be either 

 the one or the other ; both cannot be undertaken together 

 successfully. On this occasion I decided that a bird in the 

 hand was worth two on the film, so used my rifle in the place 

 of the camera. 



With regard to ordinary still photography, I have tried 

 all sorts of cameras and am never without one. I consider 

 the pre-war lenses and cameras far superior and more likely 

 to give lasting satisfaction than those made to-day. There 

 is no comparison between the workmanship and finish of a 

 1914 camera and one made in 1920 ; the former is a far better 

 article. For this reason I would advise an intending purchaser 

 to go to a good firm dealing in second-hand cameras and 

 selecting one of the pre-war makes with a pre-war lens, having 

 the latter repolished if need be. An all-round lens that has 

 given me the utmost satisfaction for the past fifteen years, 

 and is still as good as ever, is a Beck-Steinheil Orthostigmat. 



To meet all requirements of a long expedition I think 



262 



