G. O. Sars—Practical use of Autography. 277 
face appeared under the microscope homogeneous, granular, 
with dull metallic luster. When ground to fine powder with 
water all settled rapidly and every particle was strongly 
attracted by the magnet. These properties seem to render 
it probable that the carbon was all in a combined state. 
Art. XXX VITI.—On the practical use of Autography, especially 
jor Natural History publications. Condensed from a letter to 
the Christiania paper ‘“‘ Morgenbladet,” 1875, by G. O. Sars, 
Professor of Zoology at the University of Christiania, Nor- 
way, and translated by J. LINDAHL. 
AUTOGRAPHY is a long-known process by which manuscript, 
or drawings, made on common paper by means of a peculiar 
kind of ink, may be transferred to a lithographic stone and 
then printed. This simple and cheap method has, however, 
had hitherto a very limited practical use, and almost exclu- 
sively for the reproduction of original manuscripts, hieroglyphs, 
or other simple figures, for which types could not be used. In 
orway it was introduced in 1878, by Dr. Lieblein, who illus- 
trated his Egyptological work with some pages of hieroglyphic 
Inscriptions reproduced in autography. This suggested to me 
the idea that the same process might answer also for represent- 
ing simple zoological objects, and thus afford the means of 
removing one of the great impediments that too often have 
interfered with a free development of zoology, viz: the heavy 
8 seem connected with a production in the usual way—b 
lithography or copper plate engraving—of illustrations so 
necessary for all works on descriptive zoology. * * * There 
are a number of objections to the autographic process hitherto 
used, and these led me to experiment on the subject. I have 
been fortunate enough by my experiments to devise an easy 
method and to prove its extensive practical use, and it gives 
me pleasure to communicate it to the scientific world, coe 
that I am doing science an important service. I must ad 
that the success of my experiments is greatly due to Mr. Fehr’s 
warm interest and assistance. 
The following is a detailed explanation of this improved 
autographic process. The drawing is done on common paper, 
not too thick (for instance common letter paper), which, on 
one side (where the drawing is to be made), has been coated, 
by means of a sponge, with a thin film of starch. As it is not 
well for the shading to use quite glossy paper, it is a good way 
to give it a granulated surface by pressing it against a litho- 
graphic stone. By using for this purpose stones with more or 
