g over snow upon grouse; wolf
leaping with fore-legs in air on receiving his death-shot; fox in
"full cry;" fox just missing a pheasant or duck by only securing the
tail feathers; two foxes fighting; fox and playing cubs; fox and
trapped rabbit (after Ansdell); "Heads and Tails," fox coming over
bank as rabbit disappears; dogs and puppies; cats and kittens (see
Landseer's, Ansdell's, Couldery's, and Frank Paton's pictures for
treatment of these); otters and young; otters with fish (see
Landseer's and Rolfe's pictures for these); otters diving after fish,
both seen in mid-water, are some of the studies which have been, or
can be, executed.

Among birds, eagles and falcons at rest or in action are the most
capable of artistic treatment, such as "The Eagle's Throne" (after
Wolf); laemmergeyer carrying off lamb; hawks fighting over a small
bird, allowing the latter to escape; peregrine falcon striking a
bittern; eagle and wild cat; sea-eagle and gulls; osprey and fish. In
connection with the last, one of the very best things I ever saw done
with these specimens was in the Fisheries Exhibition, 1883, a piece of
work--a study it might be called--executed by a German residing in
London. It represented an osprey tugging a fish from some sea rocks.

Both fish and bird were excellently rendered; the latter, with wings
expanded, had gripped the fish with both feet, and had raised it in
the air some distance off the rocks; the fish was, however, entangled
by a line and hook it had swallowed; and the action of the fish-hawk
in attempting to tear the fish away was wonderfully fine, the feathers
were raised about the head, the eye was fierce, and the sidelong waft
of the wings was most natural. The study was all the more interesting
from the fact that both bird and fish were poised in air without any
visible means of support, the case enclosing them being of glass all
around. How it was managed was easy for the professional eye to
discover, but I do not think I should be doing justice to the inventor
to describe the method.

Amongst the water birds, which are the next best, perhaps, for
artistic treatment, come the swans, in the attitude of swimming (see
Chapter XII.), ducks swimming, diving, and flying. "The Widowed Duck"
--after the celebrated picture--was one of the things very nicely
rendered in the "Fisheries Exhibition;" the painting of an artistic
scene at the back of this case helped the effect wonderfully, as it
usually d