512 



RECREATION. 



sured the picture is bona fide, and there 

 was no trap or anything to deceive. Yours, 



"F. C. Ewing, 

 "Glenwood Springs, Col." 



Of course I knew it all the time, but I 

 wanted to give my readers a chance to do 

 some guessing. 



Now, Mr. Ewing, it is your turn to guess 

 ,again. 



A RARE PHOTOGRAPH. 



Here is some correspondence about the 

 picture which won first prize in my 5th An- 

 inual Photo Competition: 



Lunenburg, Vt. 

 .Editor Recreation: 



I send you to-day 2 photos for entry in 

 your competition. They show 2 beavers 

 1 cutting and drawing wood. 



I went up in Aroostook county, Maine, 

 late last fall, .to study the beaver, prep- 

 atory to mounting a group for the Vermont 

 University. Had made a number of ex- 

 posures on dams, houses, etc., but could not 

 get any of the 'beavers themselves, though 

 I had learned something of their habits. 

 Finally, I found a family of them that had 

 (only one road to their wood lot. "Here," 

 I said, "is my chance for a picture of the 4- 

 ; footed carpenters themselves." How well 

 !I succeeded remains for your judges to 

 decide. It was something of a job, and it 

 took some time to do it, so I will not take 

 time to write the story now, but will give 

 at to you in detail later if you want it. 

 Yours truly, 

 _, ; ■ W. E. Balch. 



I replied as follows : 



Your beaver picture is a marvel, and if 

 it does not win one of the best prizes I am 

 a poor guesser. This is one of the most 

 interesting photographs I have ever seen. 



The question will be raised, as soon as 

 this picture is published, as to whether 

 these beavers were alive or whether they 

 were mounted specimens put out there for 

 the purpose. You know photographers 

 have played a lot of tricks of that kind, 

 and so other photographers have become 

 skeptical. Let me ask you, frankly, if thesr 

 were mounted specimensi? You know it 

 would be possible for a good taxidermist 

 to put up mounted specimens in these 

 position, and possibly to put up freshly 

 killed animals to look as natural as these 

 ido. 



If these beavers were alive I should like 

 to have you make an affidavit to that 

 effect, and if you had anyone with you at 

 the time have him join in it. If no one 

 else was' there, it would be well to have a 

 letter written me and signed by 3 of your 

 prominent men, certifying to your honesty 



and to their belief in the genuineness of 

 this picture. This is all in the interest of 

 science, and for the purpose of allaying 

 doubt in the minds of the judges and of 

 my readers. 



I wish you would kindly send me the 

 negative from which this picture was made, 

 as I should like to have some enlargements 

 made from it. 

 Awaiting your kind reply, I am, 

 Yours truly, 



G. O. Shields, 

 Editor and Manager. 



In due course came the following : 



Dear Sir : Your letter at hand. The 

 beavers that I sent you photo of are, with- 

 out doubt, alive and well today. It is a 

 picture of live beavers, straight and hon- 

 est, and I will send herewith affidavits by 

 myself and the station agent at Lunenburg, 

 who was with me on the trip. I could refer 

 you to half of the people in our town as to 

 my honesty, if necessary. I have spent 

 much time in the woods studying things. 

 I found a chance to make a photo of live 

 beaver, so I staked out my camera, hitched 

 a string to it, so that I could pull it off, 

 fixed a place to hide, 100 feet or more 

 away, and you have the result. 

 Yours truly, 



W. E. Balch. 



September 29, 1900. 

 This is to certify that the photo of beav- 

 ers, entitled "Beavers Cutting and Drawing 

 Wood," entered in Recreation's competi- 

 tion, is not made from mounted or stuffed 

 specimens, but from live beavers, on their 

 wood lot as they were at work. 



W. E. Balch. 

 Sworn to before me this 29th day of Sep- 

 tember, A.D. 1900. 



Archibald J. Miller, 

 (Notarial Seal) Notary Public. 



Lunenburg, Vt., September 29, 1900. 

 This is to certify that I accompanied 

 Mr. Balch last season on the trip when the 

 picture entitled "Beavers Cutting and 

 Drawing Wood" was taken, and that the 

 same was secured from live specimens 

 while at work on their native soil. 



Leslie I. Bishop. 

 Sworn to before me this 29th day of Sep- 

 tember, 1900. 



Archibald J. Miller, 

 (Notarial Seal) Notary Public. 



On October nth I wrote Mr. Balch as 



follows: 



Dear Sir: 



The judges have made the following 

 criticisms on your beaver picture: 



The beaver on the left is apparently be- 





