iSqi.] Correspondence. ^A.'l 



good lamp where the direct rajs do not fall upon jour print. Pin this 

 latter out on a small drawing-board with artists' thumb-tacks, and then 

 with a mapping-pen (No. 291, Gillott's) and Higgins' American Draw- 

 ing Ink, carefully ink over bj lines and otherwise the outlines of your 

 figure. In doing this you will have the opportunitj' of making it appear 

 Jusf as you desire jour outline ink sketch to appear when it comes to be 

 finally printed from the electrotype. Having carefullj completed jour 

 work, immerse the print /?«/ in a traj containing a saturated solution of 

 bichloride of mercurj. This in a moment takes out <7//of the print ex- 

 cept the ink outline jou have traced, and this latter it leaves upon a pure 

 -Mhitc sheet of paper. Next drj the print thoroughlj, and mount upon a 

 suitable card. At a small cost, a good electrotjpe can be made from this 

 figure. Photographing against a sheet, of course, takes out a great deal 

 that jou do not want in jour reproduced figure, but hy the process just 

 described 3'ou need not have a single point or line more than jou want. 

 It works admirably where we wish to reduce the subject to anj required 

 size; in osteological subjects and in dissections; in deformities of birds; 

 and indeed in dozens upon dozens of other cases. To naturalists in gen- 

 eral I would saj' that the process just described is absolutelj invaluable; 

 bv its means readj' and accurate sketches are made of characters of coim- 

 trj ; of all sorts of ethnological subjects, as potterj and native arts, some- 

 times so difficult to draw; of complicated skeletons; of living animals of 

 all kinds, and thousands of other subjects too numerous for enumeration. 

 With soiTie live birds the following plan will be found to work well : 

 Suspend a shelf, at the proper height, from the wall of jour studio, and 

 in W\z proper light. This shelf, as usual, is to be entirelj covered with 

 white blotting paper, and upon its horizontal part is to be firmly fixed 

 the limb, trunk, or rock, or turf upon which jou desire your specimen to 

 appear. Set up jour camera and focus this perch sharplj on jour 

 ground-glass; next put in jour smallest diaphragm and attach jour 

 'pneumatic shutter' ready for instant use. Gentlj take jour living bird 

 in jour hand, smooth its feathers, caress it for a moment or two, tiien 

 quietlj place its head under its wing, and bj beginning slovvlj soon rap- 

 idlj whir! jour specimen in a circle. This, as it were, 'puts it asleep,' 

 but it will seize the perch with its feet, or rest quietlj on rock or tmf. 

 Place it as near as possible in the position you desire, and stand readj for 

 a semi-instantaneous picture. Be perfectly quiet. In a few moments 

 jour bird gradually cotnes to, rights himself, preens up a little, looks 

 around, steadies hiinself into a natural attitude, finally looks himself, 

 and then more or less animated. This is jour chance, puff the snap on 

 him ! FaithfuUj yours, 



Takoma, D. C Dec. 2S, /Sgo. R. W. Shufeldt. 



