The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1914-11-15
A Juggling Fly on an Elephant
Beetle-One of the Strangest
Motion Pictures Ever Pre-.
pared-The Idea Was 'Sug-
qested by Mrs. Ditmars.

note large animals IN natural environ
ment At first there was startling orig
inality about the possibility of showing
herds of zebras, elephants and the like
in their native lands, but when we stop
TO carefully analyze the value OF these
films we realize that considerable por-
ton of them does not teach us anything
particularly new. 1t is possible to OBJ
serve and study the movements OF all
these creatures in geological gardens.
The writer has seen few of.these MINIS
that brought out specific wild habits and
delineated conditions that were espe-
cially instructive, but films of this type
are much in the minority. II advantage
is to be taken of the great possibilities
of portraying nature with the motion pic
ture camera, the photographer should
seek animals amid environment that elu-
cidates facts new to the greater number
of students, or causes his subjects to IL
fustrate characteristic habits.
The work of photographing mammals,
reptiles and insects demands much va
ried ingenuity Some of the mammals,
that are large enough to be dangerous,
take many liberties in the studio and at
times do considerable damage. In order
to avoid any trace of cagework In the
pictures the subjects have the free run
of the place and are enticed upon the
stages with food or by rock shelters
built for them. The promptings OF q
hungry stomach are found to be the most
effective in the stage management OF
this theatre of Nature, and many or the
pfctures are made at the period of feed
ing time.
The prowling of a hungry ocelot or
tiger cat is a good illustration of animal
management. For several days this
creatures food had been concealed In
different locations Of the stage-some-
times hidden among the rocks or con-
cealed in the branch of q tree. The pic
ture was taken as the cat started to
search for the food, crouching, seeming
and alertly peering about.
The development of the eggs OF frogs
and toads was obtained with a camera
set before a Bohemian glass jar and from
the same position recording few feet of
film each day. One of these cameras did
such duty for a period Of two months,
thus placing this instrument hors-de-
combat for all other laboratory work.
The life history of several spiders was
obtained in like fashion. The story OF
large species of Lycosa, or wolf spider,
was recorded throughout upon the same
sfield"-a gravelly hollow six inches
square. After each photograph the en-
closure was covered with bell-glass
and wet sponge to provide the proper
moisture, for many spiders are particu-
larly delicate as captives.
The care of this spider was more Ia
borious than that of large animal. Soft
bodied grubs were hunted for her, and
she received drinking water by permit
ting miniature drops to run to the end of
a broom straw. These precautions were
necessary in preserving the absolute
cleanliness Of her tiny yard, which on the
projecting screen will be magnified thou
sands Of areas. The spinning of her egg
cocoons was successfully accomplished
and we waited with much anxiety the
time when the young spiders would
emerge and crawl upon the parents back
describable spectacle. This chapter OF
the family history was recorded, and
there was wait Of eight days when the
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