ON D YEING. 23 



the ingredients and keep them simmering; or, better 

 still, one of " Spielman's Automatic Gas Heaters," 

 a small, inexpensive apparatus, possessing great 

 heating power, so contrived that the weight of the 

 utensil placed upon it automatically ignites the 

 heater, while its removal cuts off the flame ; and 

 a few chemist's glass stirring-rods for mixing the 

 dyes or handling the feathers, &c. When dyeing 

 a number of hackles, or other feathers, it is a great 

 convenience to have a small, deep colander, which 

 will fit into the pipkins ; in this way the whole of 

 the materials to be dyed are kept together, and put 

 into and taken out of the dye simultaneously, so 

 that while examining a single specimen for colour, 

 the remainder are not being dyed a darker tinge. 

 It is well to note that as soon as the colander is 

 withdrawn from the dye in the pipkin, the whole 

 of the contents should be thoroughly washed out 

 by turning a stream of clean cold water through 

 the colander ; otherwise, when taking out a feather, 

 and while drying and examining it for colour, the 

 small quantity of dye left on the other feathers in 

 the colander will frequently be found to have 

 deepened their tint considerably. All dyeing 

 should be done in distilled water, or if this is not 

 procurable, in soft (rain) water, and notes should 

 be carefully made of the proportionate quantity 

 of the ingredients used, as well as the exact time 

 required to produce each colour or shade. 



All feathers, or other animal matter, before 



