![O.033096; [Praying mantis and fly]. From the portfolio: A Sham Saint or the story of the sad end of a Blue Bottle Fly; May 1940; Sharell, Richard ; without frame](https://media.tepapa.govt.nz/collection/281164/preview)
item details
Name[Praying mantis and fly]. From the portfolio: A Sham Saint or the story of the sad end of a Blue Bottle Fly
ProductionRichard Sharell; photographer; May 1940; New Zealand
Classificationblack-and-white prints, gelatin silver prints, black-and-white photographs
Materialsphotographic gelatin, silver, photographic paper, cardboard
Materials Summaryblack and white photograph, gelatin silver print
Techniquesblack-and-white photography
DimensionsImage: 78mm (height), 103mm (length)
Registration NumberO.033096
Overview
Number four in a series of seven. A close-up view of a praying mantis eating a fly.
Caption: 'Quickly jerking forward its grasping-arms the praying Mantis seizes the fly with never failing certainty. From these clutches there is no escape. The helpless victim is raised towards the mouth and remorselessly eaten'.