PHOTOQRAPHINQ LIONS.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1416, 17 April 1912, Page 8

PHOTOQRAPHINQ LIONS.

NATURALIST'S WEIRD ADVENTURES

Mr. A. Kadclyffo Dugmore, P.R.G.S., lecturing at Edinburgh on "Stalking Big Game with a Camera," gave accounts of some exciting experiences which he had in different parts of the world when securing photographs of wild animals in their native haunts. When dealing with the moro dangerous creatures, the method adopted was for tho operator (o stand with the camera while a companion stood ready with a loaded rifle in case of a, surprise. On one occasion Mr. Dugmore was charged by a rhinoceros. Ho got a photograph of it in full career when it was within fifteen yards of.him. Buckshot and a soft bullet failed to turn the animal, and Mr. Dugmoro's companion danced about in front of it and emptied his revolver into its faco at a rango of from three to six yards. This did not upset tho monster in tho least, nnd Mr. Dugmoro had an anxious moment before a Masai attendant drove a spear eighteen inches into its side and diverted it. The same native had killed a lion single-handed with the same spear two weeks previously.

The mnuner of photographing lions was as follows:—A zebra carcass was used as a bait, cameras being concealed behind barriers of branches. On the third night of watching the lecturer said that with his ear to the ground he was nblo to distinguish tho dull thud of a lion's walk. At first he could see nothing, but he gradually made out a huge lion staring at him. He. pressed the trigger of tho flashlight, which frightened the lion terribly. He went off to a distanco of two or three hundred yards, and stayed there for over an hour telling them what it thought of them.

Another night as they were watching at the spot chosen a lioness came, followed a littlo Inter by three others, making a curious crunching sound. The lecturer said he would like fo givo his audience some idea of the horror of that kind of work. After the flash went, they had to move out into the darkness, nndtako out tho plate which had been exposed, setting tho camera for .the next Hash. The smnll hand-light they carried moved up and down, and every shado\v" looked like a lion.

Tho worst pnvt of it nil was the horrible growling Hint went on tlio whole time. One lion kept walking backwards mid forwards at'their roar, and ho could distinctly hour it breathing. Tho other threo kept up an incessant growling in front of them lor a coupln of horn - ?. Suddenly they made a hound at him, but turned off when within five yards' range.

Sir. Dugmore had shown one of his lion photograph? to Mr. Selous, tho well-known hunter, who said that the lecturer did not know how nearly dead he had been when he took that picture. The lion had one of it? fore-paws- raised for a spring, and by his eyes" Mr. Scion-- knew that it was only the flashlight which had stopped him. The picture save Hie lion the at> ppanuHW of beii)(t fat, which wm due to his taking a lone breath.