INSECTS, PHOTOGRAPHING The photographing of insects falls naturally under two heads—namely, photographing living insects, and photographing dead, set specimens. Living insects should be photographed in their natural environment, the caterpillars on their favourite food-plant, the butterfly or moth upon the flower, tree-trunk, wall, or other situation which it most frequents. The most interesting and valuable results will be obtained by concen trating one's efforts upon one insect at a time, and working to produce a complete set of photo graphs which will show every stage in its life history from the egg to the perfect insect. The reflex camera is undoubtedly the best type for photographing living insects, as it enables one to follow and focus the subject up to the instant of making the exposure, and, being fitted with a focal plane shutter, permits the maximum amount of light to reach the plate during expo sure. A good lens of large aperture and fairly long focal length should be used, one with a working aperture of f/4.5 or f/6, and having, for a quarter-plate, a focal length of 7 in. Fist isochromatic plates should always be used.
For photographing dead, set specimens, an ordinary rigid stand camera, having a long extension of bellows, will be most useful ; and for all-round purposes a half-plate size will be most convenient, because of its greater bellows extension. The plate-holders can be fitted with
adapters to carry quarter-plates, and the front of the camera should have two or three extra lens-panels, so that lenses of varying focal lengths may be used. By this means it is possible to obtain photographs direct of life size, and also of two or three diameters magnification. The set specimen should not be placed upon a draw ing-board or similar support, as the shadows cast by the body, legs, and wings of the insect will give a very unpleasant and confusing effect. A good, dear sheet of glass should be used, and the insect can then be pinned on to a tiny piece of cork which will not be large enough to show and which has been cemented in place. A suitable coloured background can be placed eight or ten inches behind the glass, so that no shadow will be cast by the insect.
A notebook record should be kept of all work done in the field, and an entry made of each sub ject, giving particulars as to the plate used, lens and stop, exposure, lighting, time of day, day of month, result obtained, and any notes of interest concerning the subject itself. F. M-D.