PHOTOGRAPHING LIONS.

Clutha Leader, Volume XXXIX, Issue 46, 17 January 1913, Page 8

PHOTOGRAPHING LIONS.

A WEIRD ABVEN'WUE

Mr A. Radclyft'e Dugmoro, F.R.G.S:, lecturing at Edinburgh on "Stalking itu> Uttiut! \v»tli a Camera," gave accounts of some exciting experiences which he had in different .part of the world when securing photographs or wild animals in their native haunts. When dealing with the more dangerous creatures, the method adopted was for the operator to stand with the camera while a companion stood ready with a loaded rifle in case of a surprise. On one occasion Mr Dugniore was charged by a rhinoceros. He got a photograph of it in full career when it was within fifteen yards of him. Buckshot and a swift bullet failed to turn the animal, and Mr Dugmore's companion danced about in front of it and emptied his revolver into its face at a range of from three to six yards. This did not upsot the monster iu the least, and Mr Lugmore had an anxious moment before a Masai attendant drove a spear 18 inches into its side and diverted it. The same native had killed n lion singie-isawlcd with the sanio spear two weeks previously. The manner of photographing lions was as follows: A zebra, carcase was used as a bait, cameras being concealed behind barrierV of branches. On the third night of watching the lecturer said that with his ear to the ground he was able to distinguish the 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 the flashlight, which frightened the lion terribly. He went off to a distance of two or three hundred yarls 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 little later by three others, making a curious crunching sound. Tho lecturer said he would like to give his audience some idea of the horror of that kind of work. After the flash went they had to move out into the darkness find take out the plate which had been exposed, setting the camera for the nest flash. The small hand-light they carried moved up and down, and every shadow looked like a lion.

The worst part of it all was the horrible growling that went on the whole time. One lion kept walking backwards and forwards at their rear, and he could distinctly hear it breathing. The other three kept up an incessant growling in front of them for a couple of hours. Suddenly they made a bound at him, but turned off when within live yards' range. Mr Dugniore had shown one of his lion photographs to Mr Selous, the 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 its fore-paws raised for a spring, and by his eyes Mr Selous knew that it was* only the flashlight which had stopped him. The picture gave the lion the appearance of being fat, which was due to his taking a long breath.