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The National Geographic Magazine 



PHOTOGRAPHS OF WILD GAME 



THE July number of this Magazine 

 will contain an article by Hon. 

 George Shiras, 3d, entitled "Photograph- 

 ing Wild Game with Flashlight and 

 Camera." It will be accompanied by 

 more than 60 pictures, most of them full- 

 page illustrations, of deer, bull moose, 

 raccoon, wild cat, porcupine, pelican, blue 

 heron, white heron, gulls, ducks, king- 

 fisher, woodpecker, etc., taken by Mr 

 Shiras during his camera hunting trips of 

 the last fifteen years. 



THE LURAY CAVERNS 



THE Luray Caverns were visited by 

 about 450 members of the Na- 

 tional Geographic Society on May 19, 

 and again on May 26 by about 250 more 

 members, for whom accommodations 

 could not be provided on the first excur- 

 sion. Each party left Washington at 8 

 a. m. on a special vestibule train pro- 

 vided by the Baltimore and Ohio Rail- 

 road. The members were shown through 

 the caverns in squads of 25 each, accom- 

 panied by intelligent guides. It is prac- 

 tically the unanimous opinion of all that 

 in beauty and splendor the Luray Cav- 

 erns equal, if they do not surpass, the 

 most extravagant descriptions that have 

 been written about them. The forma- 

 tions vary as much in beauty and weird 

 design as the frost on a New England 

 window pane varies from day to day in 

 winter. The cave covers an area of 10 

 acres. Its lowest point is 166 feet below 

 the surface. 



The Caverns of Luray are situated 

 about 120 miles from Washington, in the 

 famous Shenandoah Valley, in a region 

 renowned for the picturesqueness of its 

 scenery and celebrated for its historical 

 associations. 



The caves were discovered in 1878, 

 and shortly thereafter were opened to the 

 public. The full extent of their subter- 

 ranean depths was not then known, or 

 even suspected, and not until thoroughly 

 equipped exploring parties had pene- 

 trated seemingly endless chambers and 

 labyrinthine passages were their bound- 



less riches disclosed and made accessible 

 to visitors. Since that time the fame of 

 the caverns has penetrated the uttermost 

 parts of the earth, resulting in the visits 

 of many thousands each year. Persons 

 from all quarters of the globe — scientists, 

 explorers, and tourists — have wandered 

 through the wonderful chambers, and the 

 general verdict of their united testimony 

 is that Luray Caverns excel all others in 

 the combined extent, variety, scientific 

 interest, and beauty of their calcite for- 

 mations. Comparing this great natural 

 curiosity with others of the same class, 

 it is safe to say that there is probably no 

 other cave in the world more completely 

 and profusely decorated with stalactitic 

 and stalagmitic ornamentation than that 

 of Luray. 



Every facility for visiting all the cham- 

 bers and seeing all the wonders in the 

 most comfortable manner has been pro- 

 vided. Cement walks have been laid, 

 stairways, bridges, and iron railings have 

 been erected where such help was neces- 

 sary, and the entire subterranean palace 

 is illuminated by both arc and incan- 

 descent electric lights. The interior is 

 singularly free from dampness or drip- 

 ping water, and no special preparation 

 for the visit is needed in the matter of 

 clothing. Plain clothing and stout shoes 

 comprise the necessary outfit, wraps being 

 superfluous, as the temperature remains, 

 winter and summer, at about 54 degrees. 



Dr H. C. Hovey, a member of the Na- 

 tional Geographic Society, in the Ency- 

 clopedia Britannica, writes of the cave as 

 follows : 



"The stalactite display exceeds that of 

 any other cavern known, and there is 

 hardly a square yard on the walls or ceil- 

 ing that is not thus ornamented. The old 

 material is yellow, brown, or red, and its 

 wavy surface often shows layers like the 

 gnarled grain of costly woods. The new 

 stalactites growing from the old, and 

 made of hard carbonates that had already 

 once been used, are usually white as 

 snow, though often pink, blue, or amber- 

 colored. The size attained by single 

 specimens is surprising. The Empress 

 Column is a stalagmite 35 feet high, rose- 



