The portion of a sampler shown in Fig. 2 is interesting by reason of the fact that it is worked in knots, a form of stitchery comparatively rare, save in those unclassifiable pieces of embroidery which are neither pictures nor samplers, but possess some of the features of both. Materials Linen, bleached or unbleached, but, of course, always hand-woven, is the foundation material of the early samplers. It varies greatly in texture, from a coarse, canvas-like kind to a fine and closely woven sort of about the same stoutness as good modern pillow-case linen. The stitchery of these oldest samplers is executed in linen thread or a somewhat loosely twisted silk, often scarcely coarser than our nineteenth-century "machine silk," although, on the other hand, a very thick and irregularly spun type is occasionally seen. About 1725 linen of a peculiar yellow colour and rather harsh texture came into vogue; but this went out of fashion in a few years, and towards the end of the eighteenth century the strong and durable linen was almost entirely superseded by an ugly and moth-attracting stuff called indifferently tammy, tammy cloth, bolting cloth, and, when woven in a specially narrow width, sampler canvas. The stitchery on samplers of this date is almost invariably executed with silk, although in a few of the coarser ones fine untwisted crewel is substituted. Tiffany, the thin, muslin-like material mentioned in connection with darning-samplers, was at this period used also for small delicately wrought samplers of the ordinary type. Early in the nineteenth century very coarsely woven linen and linen canvas came into fashion again, and for some time were nearly as popular as the woollen tammy; while, about 1820, twisted crewels of the crudest dyes replaced in a great measure the soft toned silks. Next followed the introduction of cotton canvas and Berlin wool, and with them vanished the last remaining vestige of the exquisite stitchery and well-balanced designs of earlier generations, and the sampler, save in a most degraded form, ceased to exist. Index Abraham on sampler, 58. Fig. 16 Acorn, 58, 68, 109. Plate III. Fig. 16 Adam and Eve on samplers, 21, 62, 109; on embroideries, 128 Africa, map of, 97. Fig 41 Age of sampler, how to estimate, 15 Age of sampler workers, 80 Agur's prayer. Plate XI. Alphabets on samplers, 19, 22, 84; stitches, 164 America, samplers from, 24, 97 (Plate XIII., Figs. 42-51); map of, 92. Fig. 39 Anchors, Fig. 23 Animals on samplers, 65 Ascension Day samplers, 38 Background-stitches, 144 Back-stitches, 109, 163. Plates III. and VII. Fig. 75 Bead embroidery, 158 (Plate XXII.); sampler, Fig. 53 Belief, the, 28 Belgian samplers, 110 Biblical subjects in tapestry embroideries, 128 Bird's-eye-stitch, 164 Borders to samplers, 75 Boston, U.S.A., samplers from, 89. Fig. 50 Boxers, 61. Plate III. Fig. 18 Boys, samplers by, 84. Fig 34