New-York tribune., 1901-10-27
HUNTING WITH A CAMERA.
ERNEST SETON-THOMPSON TELLS SOME
OF HIS EXPERIENC PHO
BIOGRAPHY IS SAVING THE
WILD CREATURES.

Lives of the Hunted is the title of new
book by Ernest Seton-Thompson, who in pri-
vate life is Ernest T. Seton. on the day when
tn" first copies of the work were delivered by the
publisher the newspapers contained accounts OF
the arrest of the author in Colorado by game
warden The charge against Mr.. Seton was
that he had been detected in the act of batting
:! bear trap. He was put to much incon-
Venience but when he appeared at Merker for
trial he had no difficulty in convincing the judge
that he had never in his life bated bear trap,
and that wnen he was placed under arrest he
Was armed with nothing dangerous to
animal life than Photographic camera
1t was a ridiculous charge" said Mr.. Seton,
and it made by man who takes de
light in harassing Eastern visitors the people in
Colorado know how TO look upon it, but TO my
friends in this part of the country the proceed
rg looked queer. l have had much experience
with wild animals, but have never been an ad-
yocate of slaughter" and he pointed to a note
in his book. which reads:
My chief motive. my most earnest underlying
Wish has been to stop the determination of
harmless wild animals not for their sakes. but
for ours, firmly believing that each of our ma
tive wild creatures is in itself precious heri-
tage that we have no right to destroy or put
beyond the reach OF our children.
The camera is really the weapon of the
wild animal hunter" said Mr. Seton. The
anatomy, haDltS ana QecullarlteS OF animals
have always been of interest to the hunter but
the study of these has been made much easier
and productive of better results by the use of
the camera. Men who have tried both weapons
usually agree that it takes more time to shoot
with camera than with gum but there is
much pleasure derived from the successful cam
era shots An exposed shoulder will answer the
purpose of the man who shoots with gun but
the photographer needs full view, close range
and perfect light conditions before he can hope
for good results. His best chances are acci-
GENITAL. and for that reason he must be the
lookout just much though he carried a
gun. Men who 60 into the woods TO MAKE pict-
of animals must have huntsmen's knowl-
.dge to be successful. and for that reason the
aest hunters become the most successful photog-
iaphers. The dcers best weapon against the
hunter is its scent, and to approach the game
must go against the wind and then locate
The animals from ridges and high points. The
least noise is heard by the animals and when
the hunter is discovered 10y the game he stands
still and waits for the camera subject to ap-
proach him. That is sometimes a patience try
ing experience, because if the deer has discov-
cred the he uses the same tactics He also
stands still in his tracks and gazes at the hunt
or. had such experience in Colorado
Gently. | came upor a deer and. knowing that
by moving sufficiently to bring my instrument
into play | should frightcn him. | remained
3early motionless as possible and the deer did
he same. The animal was so perfectly notion
less that after a while il looked To mo like a
part of the wood, and began to doubt whether
there really was a deer there. My failure to
move must have had a similar effect on the ami
nal. for after an interval that, according to my
calculation, must have been more than eleven
minutes, he backed into the woods and disap-
peared.
1t IS even more difficult to get a snap at
bears and knowing that the animals are in "A
certain part of the country one do nothing
more than wait for them to come and have their
pictures taken. Some of the best opportunities
present themselves after sundown at times
when the man with the gun would have no
difficulty in bringing down his game, while the
man with The camera may find the little avail
able light in the wrong quarter and thereby miss
his chance"
The hunter author has some fine photogra phs
OF reindeer which he made in Norway last year
we saw the drove" he said ''of nearly a thou
sand head away in the distance, but the wind
being the wrong way could not stalk them
But they came our way, and the photographs
which succeeded in making were at short
range, the animals being less than twelve feet
away"
with the work about 90 per cent of the photo-
graphic efforts III the woods a failure. But
the successful snaps give the man who hunts