33 



with illustrations. Moreover, overtures have been lately made to me by a publishing 

 firm in New York to get out a duodecimo edition of the book, in which it would be 

 easy to introduce wood-cuts, if a competent artist to nuike the drawings could be ob- 

 tained. My first proposal having been made to you to furnish illustrations, and hav- 

 ing ever kept this in mind, I now return to the subject to inquire whether your en- 

 gagements will allow you to undertak;e the same, and on what terms, and what time 

 you will be ready to begin. It would best promote the object were you situated in 

 the immediate vicinity, for I should need to communicate almost daily with you 

 while engaged on the work. 



Yon may rememher my having stated my wishes regarding another work, or rather 

 a series of works, of a popular character, on our insects, in which I hope to have your 

 co-operation. The plan has long been matured; the execution with the means now 

 on hand would not be difficult, and the success seems to me to be almost certain. 

 With the pictures the books can hardly fail finding a good market. Without boast- 

 ing, I may be permitted to say that we could do in this department, together, what 

 no other persons in the United States can accomplish. 



Have you seen Dr. Emmons's big book on the Insects of New York, or Professor 

 Jaeger's smaller one on the Life of North American Insects ? These will be a warn- 

 ing against any one's undertaking to deal with subjects with which they are not 

 familiar. Criticism will be thrown away upon them, and I forbear making further 

 remarks upon these remarkable productions. 



Do me the favor to write to me at your earliest convenience and let me know what 

 is the extent of your previous engagements and what your plans are for the future. 

 Yours, truly, 



Thaddeus William Harris. 



TowNEND Glover, Esq. 



I may mention here that, as far back as 1847, Mr. Glover spent some 

 time in Albany with Gavitt perfecting himself in work upon copper, 

 particularly in the handling of the roulette, by means of which the 

 dark effects in illustration are produced, as shading of wings, bodies, etc. 

 Among his early copper-plates is the one executed in February, 1852, 

 reproduced above (Fig. 4). Some of the figures on this plate show 

 clearly the methods used with stone engraving, namely, stipple shading, 

 as seen in figures 3, 4, and 10, especially. In 1 and 9, on the contrary, 

 the same effect is arrived at by means of lines, though apparently by a 

 hand not thoroughly skilled. 



To return to Mr. Glover's plan of a work on insects, as outlined on a 

 previous page, it is impossible to say how far he progressed with his 

 scheme before finding it impracticable. The i)lates of the orange in- 

 sects finished in accordance with it (though only approximately) are to 

 be found, pretty nearly as originally engraved, in the Homoptera of the 

 final work by which he is now known. The 22 plates of Insects and 

 Diseases of the Cotton Plant are included in the 273 plates sold to the 

 Government, but were finished, or very nearly so, while he was yet in 

 the service of the Patent Office. Some extracts from his journal in 

 1858, when in Florida, throw very interesting light upon this point : 



June 28 : Began plate on Coccus. July 6 : Began Plate 2, lemon (coccus). July 9 : 



Commenced plate of Papilio thoas, on orange. JuJy 21 : Began coccus, Plate 4 ; 



orange ; etching all day. July 24 : Finished Plate 4 ; afternoon to Redwater Branch, 



and brought home cargo of red-bugs. July 30: Finished Plate 5. (The next day be 



14162— Bull 18 3 



