92 BOX-WOOD. 



The eruption induced by the working of a small insect 

 under the skin has been removed by rubbing the flour of 

 sulphur on the face with the finger, every morning, while the 

 face is still damp with the morning bath, and afterward dust- 

 ing it off with soft linen. 



BOX- WOOD. The Box-tree (Buxus sempervirens) is 

 from the South of Europe. Its wood, of yellowish color and 

 compact, hard grain, is employed for musical wind-instru- 

 ments and mathematical instruments. Wood engravings are 

 also cut in this wood. The surface is planed with great care, 

 the design being drawn upon this smooth surface with a 

 black lead pencil. The pencillings are left in relief, gravers 

 or chisels of different sizes being employed to cut away the 

 spaces between the pencil-lines. The wood is cut across the 

 grain into pieces of the height of common types, to increase 

 the strength and durability of the engraving. These blocks 

 may be inserted in a page with common types, and printed 

 without extra expense. They are very durable, and can, 

 if required, be multiplied by the process of stereotyping. 

 (Bigelow.) 



Wood-engraving owes its modern revival to ancient excel- 

 lence to Thomas Bewick. Cross-hatching, as practised by 

 Albert Durer and the old engravers, had fallen into disuse, 

 probably from the amount of time and labor required for its 

 execution, and was even forgotten when Bewick introduced 

 gradation of shade and variety of tints, consequently more 

 natural perspective, by leaving certain parts of his block 

 less prominent than such as were to produce the strongest 

 lines, taking care, however, that all the lines should give an 

 impression upon the paper which was to take picture. By 

 such means he attained the delicacy of gradation to be found 

 in copperplates. 



The ease with which wood-engravings can be set in with 



