terra japonica, and golden tan bark. Light and medium brown can be obtained from these dye-woods without the aid of aniline colours; but for dark shades, and to increase the brilliancy of other colours, a top dye or coal-tar dye is often given. The natural dyes are further developed with "strikers," which mainly consist of metallic salts. Iron, copper, and zinc sulphates, nitrate and acetate of iron, bichromate of potash, and titanium salts (titanium lactate, titanium potassium oxalate, and tanno-titanium oxalate) are the most important. The lactate, sold commercially under the name of "corichrome," is especially suitable, as, unlike the mineral acid salts, especially the sulphates, it has no destructive effect on the fibres of the leather. Dye-woods are now concentrated in the form of a paste, or dry extract, the latter being the more reliable. They are also very convenient to use and dissolve, while mixtures are, of course, easily prepared. A good tan shade on Cape sheep can be obtained by mordanting the leather with a solution of 1 lb. of bichromate of potash for every 100 lb. of leather, drumming it in 8-9 lb. of pure gambier, and then with a mixture of cuba wood extract, 1 lb.; fustic extract, 3/4 lb.; Brazil wood extract, 1/2 lb.; and logwood extract, 1/2 oz. After drumming the leather in this dye liquor for about an hour, the colour is developed with corichrome. If a darker shade be required, the leather can be treated with a suitable basic dye. After dyeing the leather, some dressers only fat-liquor it with egg-yolk and a small quantity of olive oil, while others prefer to re-dress it with a similar mixture to that used for tawing, namely, alum, salt, egg-yolk, and flour; but, where titanium salts are used, the latter method is not essential, because titanium has tanning properties. When dry, the leather is ready for finishing, but it is advisable to keep it in store for a few days before packing it in damp sawdust or sprinkling it with water to prepare it for the operation of staking. Anything more unlike leather would be difficult to imagine at this stage, but, after stretching the skin in the staking machine, or by drawing it over the upright stake, the dry, stiff, and shrivelled leather is reduced to a very supple condition. The flesh side of the leather is then pared with the moon-knife, or in the shaving machine, to equalise the thickness. In some works, a special tool which pares the leather on a flat table is preferred; this particular operation is called "doling." The flesh side is finished by fluffing it on the emery or carborundum wheel (Fig. 33). Finally, the grain is brushed and polished with the glass sleeker, or ironed.