The times., 1897-04-25
NEW WAY TO PHOTOGRAPH
Or. Allen Utilizes the StrangeSt
Lens Ever Used.
SOME MARVELLOUS RESULTS
The Picture Shows That the Eye of
Beetle Reflects Any Object Sew
eral Hundred Times-HOw 1t May
Be and Has Been Csed-Mr. w.
u. Stine's Letter.

The marvellous fcatof taking a photograph
through a lens composed of beetles eye
is the achieveneiit OF which DR.. G.. f.
Allen, of AuTOra, H., can boast. The re-
suit .sI.,;.. =. r--,-... 90 =. o,. ,, i.s,.s 80
I,Iur.. 80. is that separate outline OF
the image a. s hich the camera was di-
reCted is seen on every one of the hun-
dredS of facets which are part and parcel
OF the eye Of the insect so familiar to
us all
This is the first instance where anything
of the sort has beeI accomplished Here
tofore there has been any quantity OF
theory, but great lack OF practice. Now
we have the practice in that most con-
vincing offOrms, photograph. ItaIl came
about through curious statement made at
n meeting OF the British Scientific Asso-
ciation at which Mr. w. NJ. Stine. of tha
ArI.lOur Institute, OF Chicago. called atten-
tiOn To a very curious and interesting Ian
tern slide in his possession During dis
cussiOn of the properties OF the ROentgen
rays leading scientist suggested that as
certain insects had eyes seemingly un-
adapted to see by ordinary sunlight they
might visualize by means OF the x-rays
Now. it was held by a number Of the
savants in attendance at the association
meeting that the x-ray could hardly be
termed an incentive 70 INSTALLATION So
warm did the discussion become that IL
was finally decided to make a genuine
test with the eye of a chosen insect,
and ft is the result OF this decision that
proves one Of the most Interesting feat5
ever accomplished by means Of that great
aid to science the camera.
Dr. Allen, OF Aurora. Ill, is one ofthe few
men of sciC Cntific mind who have taken
a special interest in the wonders that the
art OF photography can be made to reveal
So ne chose the eye OF a beetle % demon
strate to the satisfaction Of everyone that
/ the x-ray was 10 aid tOviSualiZatiOnw what
ever The result OF his experiment proves
tanclusiyely that he was right, and that
| the eminent gentlemen who favored thex-
ray theory were as far from the truth
| as was preacher Jasper when he insisted
| that the sun do move -
1t is a curious study that this photo
| graph lays open to the laymcu Of science.
| We all know that the beetle has the curl
| GUS projecting eye, very similar 70 the sort
| one sometimes sees in man himself. The
| eye is large and round, or almost so. IG
| can hardly be called perfect sphere, FOX
| 1t is slightly convex in shape. The accom-
| panying picture shows really One-hair OF
! the eye Of the beetle. Such Insects have
| eyes called compound. formed not OF one
| lens. but Of several hUnuTed. set side by
side, like cells in a honeyeOmb. How does
! the world appear through such eyes, Is a
| query OF unusual interest.
Wiling OF this photograph, Mr.. W 81
slime, previously referred 10, says Of DR..
| Allen 5 picture Of the insects sight world,
here shown.
ITO the Editor.
ITO make it, Dr. Allen took the coTnea
Of the eye of i beetle hydToPhilas piceusj
and employed it in placeOf the usual photo
graphic lens Of the camera used for making
photographs Of microscopic objects. A sill
houette of head was pasted on piece Of
ground glass and lamp plaC ed behind
it. a Photographic dry plate was exposed
to the light coming through the beetles
eve from the Silhouette and developedin in the
usual manner.
As can be seen, the resulting multi
graph was circular. and contained several
hundred images Of the profile, one indeed
for each facet Of the eye The camera
used for taking large number Of slmulta-
| ousphotographsan and objects Is the physical
analogue Of such an eye The relation
| Of the eyes of such insects TO those Of man.
mails with the single adjustable lens IS that
| Of a single focus or snapshot camera TO the
| ordinary form, In which the focus is adj
tustable
1t seems reasonably clear that insects
F! foIm their Judgments of distance fIom such
multiple images, depending upon the power
of each facet 10 IefTaCt light rays. The
| nearer the object, the greater would be
theaTpaC covered by theimageSon the Ietina
| 1t is scarcely conceivable that rays not
| capable of refraCtiOn or OF being focused.
which is the case with the x-rays, can by
| simple shadow effects enable a judgment
to be formed on the distance of an object.
wv. VI. slime"
1t is impossible 10 conceive from the pic
ture that is printed in a newspaper an alr
soluteIy correct idea OF the wOud eTful clear
ness with which the different facets OF
the Ueetle's eye cause To he placed upor
: the plate the image which they reflect.
Although the image is shown a hundred or
more times, in every instance it is clear
and perfect Very fine and delicate are
the lines. to be sure, and the features are
only distincuiShahle clearly by the aid oi
d microscope, but nothing is omitted, anC
: the wonderful handiwOrk Of nature hts
never been more clearly shown than W her
this eye. with artificial stimulus, carrie:
} out the part for which IL was created
: 1t so happens that in this instance, az
, stated, O Silhouette was used instead o.
; the ordinary Photograph. It win be OBJ
served that this is exactly what the &c
companying Illustration shows Other ana
similar ex perinlcnts, however. have demon
} strated the truth OF the statement as L
the accurate reproduction of every Inca
: | nlent of the human face. To gain an ad
] eauate idea Of exactly what a phOtOgra pl
. through the multiple facets OF a beetles
eve accoupBshes. look carefully into th
eve of some person whois close to and look
ing steadfastly at you. You viii see re
| Elected IN the eye of the other your own
face, clear and distinct, with not a vestis
| of a line missing. Now, this is Just wha
| happens when the beetle looks at YOU ,-Onl,
| your eyes are reflected several hundred
, | times.
This is what the photograph, taken b,
DR.. Allen, shows 1t is one of the mos
, remarkable combinations OF dirferen
, branches of science that the world has ye