国家地理]精美图片 （五十一）

?1276. A maiko, or geisha-in-training, strolls through the streets of Kyoto. She is a member of a famed, but dwindling sorority of entertainers.
　　(Text adapted from “Kansai, Japan’s Historic Heartland,“ March 1970, National Geographic magazine)
　　

<IMG src="http://lava.nationalgeographic.com/pod/pictures/lg_wallpaper/NGM1970_03p296-7.jpg">

　1277. "Leakey is an infant, but old enough to amble through the canopy on his own. Here he shows off his climbing skills to photographer Nick Nichols. Eager for attention, Leakey likes to greet human observers by shaking tree branches. The little chimp was named for Louis Leakey, the legendary paleontologist who sent Jane Goodall to the forests of Gombe, Tanzania, to study chimpanzees."
　　—From "Jane: In the Forest Again," April 2003, National Geographic magazine online edition
　　

<img src="http://lava.nationalgeographic.com/pod/pictures/lg_wallpaper/NGM2003_04pOnlineLO.jpg">

　1278. Nenets boys play at lassoing each other—a game that may help them hone the skill for herding reindeer strays a few years hence.
　　
　　(Photograph shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Nenets: Surviving on the Siberian Tundra," March 1998, National Geographic magazine)

<img src="http://lava.nationalgeographic.com/pod/pictures/lg_wallpaper/06376_32.jpg"> <TABLE cellSpacing=0 width="100%" bgColor=#f5f9fa border=0><TR><TD vAlign=bottom align=right width=100></TD><TD><FONT color=green size=-1>
</FONT></TD></TR></TABLE>

　1279. "At Simonopetra [Monastery] monks pile the bones of brothers in a charnel house. The remains of a former abbot rest in a special box held by Father Macarius. To the monks who pray here, these orderly rows of skulls evoke the monastery‘s long history and the devotion of the men who kept alive its spirit."
　　—From "The Byzantine Empire: Rome of the East," December 1983, National Geographic magazine
　　

<img src="http://lava.nationalgeographic.com/pod/pictures/lg_wallpaper/NGM1983_12p740-1.jpg"> <TABLE cellSpacing=0 width="100%" bgColor=#f5f9fa border=0><TR><TD vAlign=bottom align=right width=100></TD><TD><FONT color=green size=-1>
</FONT></TD></TR></TABLE>

　1280. "Exotic, reverent, modern, pastoral: Thailand indeed wears many faces. Wide acceptance is given to all, including a katoey, a transvestite at an upscale Pattaya cabaret, featuring male performers."
　　—From "The Many Faces of Thailand," February 1996, National Geographic magazine
　　

<img src="http://lava.nationalgeographic.com/pod/pictures/lg_wallpaper/NGM1996_02p105.jpg"> <TABLE cellSpacing=0 width="100%" bgColor=#f5f9fa border=0><TR><TD vAlign=bottom align=right width=100></TD><TD><FONT color=green size=-1>
</FONT></TD></TR></TABLE>

　1281. Grueling terrain and steep mountain passes were no deterrent for a trio of cyclists that embarked on a seven-week journey across the Alaska Range. Despite the hard work, one rider, Paul Adkins, said, "You get into a special zone when you ride a bike here. You smile, look around, and say, ‘This is it!‘"
　　(Text adapted from "Biking Across the Alaska Range," May 1997, National Geographic magazine)
　　
　　

<img src="http://lava.nationalgeographic.com/pod/pictures/lg_wallpaper/06385_25.jpg"> <TABLE cellSpacing=0 width="100%" bgColor=#f5f9fa border=0><TR><TD vAlign=bottom align=right width=100></TD><TD><FONT color=green size=-1>
</FONT></TD></TR></TABLE>

　1282. Built in the 1800‘s, the buildings that house Prondfoot‘s are still used as a boat club, tea room, and restaurant.
　　(Photograph shot on assignment for, but not published in the National Geographic book, Wild Shores of Australia, 1996)
　　

<img src="http://lava.nationalgeographic.com/pod/pictures/lg_wallpaper/SP151_5.jpg"> <TABLE cellSpacing=0 width="100%" bgColor=#f5f9fa border=0><TR><TD vAlign=bottom align=right width=100></TD><TD><FONT color=green size=-1>
</FONT></TD></TR></TABLE>

1284. Years of unforgiving wind and waves have shaped and sculpted these limestone columns.
　　(Photograph shot on assignment for, but not published in the National Geographic book Wild Shores of Australia, 1996)
　　

<img src="http://lava.nationalgeographic.com/pod/pictures/lg_wallpaper/SP141_42.jpg"> <TABLE cellSpacing=0 width="100%" bgColor=#f5f9fa border=0><TR><TD vAlign=bottom align=right width=100></TD><TD><FONT color=green size=-1>
</FONT></TD></TR></TABLE>

　1285. "Gunmetal sheen of sundown bathes craggy terrain where the Rio Grande cuts a tortuous path. The 801,000-acre Big Bend National Park on the U.S. side, at right, is now complemented by Mexico‘s Santa Elena Canyon Protected Area, created in November 1994."
　　—From "Tex-Mex: The Winding Border," February 1996, National Geographic magazine
　　

<img src="http://lava.nationalgeographic.com/pod/pictures/lg_wallpaper/NGM1996_02p58-9.jpg"> <TABLE cellSpacing=0 width="100%" bgColor=#f5f9fa border=0><TR><TD vAlign=bottom align=right width=100></TD><TD><FONT color=green size=-1>
</FONT></TD></TR></TABLE>

　1286. "Polar bears are masters at conserving energy. During their eight-month fast [when warm weather makes seal hunting nearly impossible due to a lack of sea ice] breeding females can lose as much as 45 percent of their weight. So heat retention is important, to avoid spending too much energy to keep warm."
　　(Text from "Polar Bears," January 1998, National Geographic magazine)
　　

<img src="http://lava.nationalgeographic.com/pod/pictures/lg_wallpaper/06068_37.jpg"> <TABLE cellSpacing=0 width="100%" bgColor=#f5f9fa border=0><TR><TD vAlign=bottom align=right width=100></TD><TD><FONT color=green size=-1>
</FONT></TD></TR></TABLE>