ropped, and the stamps are
printed in colors similar to the ones in use before the change was
made." The 5, 6, and 10 cent stamps, however, made permanent
changes, but only such as might readily be traceable to a new
mixing of the inks in the case of the first two. The 10 cent can
hardly be so easily disposed of, as lake and brown-red are of quite
different composition from a rose-lilac. But there can have been no
official intention of altering the shades or colors or more
definite and permanent changes would certainly have been made
throughout the set. It remains, therefore, to classify them simply
as shade varieties of the original set.

Mr. Donald A. King, in his article in the _Monthly Journal_, gives no
less than eight varieties of paper for the stamps of this issue, though
all resolve themselves into slight, and in many cases probably
imperceptible, variations in quality and thickness of the usual "wove"
paper. Mr. Howes gives a thick and thin wove and "a closely ribbed
paper." This latter like the ribbed varieties in the earlier issues, is
evidently due to nothing more than some eccentricity of printing and is,
consequently, of doubtful philatelic importance. The classification of
the series into thick and thin papers seems to have more to be said in
its favor if the statement made in Gibbons' catalogue is to be relied
on. According to a foot note the stamps printed prior to 1888 (that is,
in Montreal), are on a thinner paper than was used for subsequent
printings. The _Philatelic Record_ for October, 1893, mentions the 10c
as being found on "fine laid paper" but this was evidently the variety
more generally classified as "ribbed."

The perforation used for the stamps of this series was the usual 12--the
work of single-line or guillotine machines. All values are reported to
exist perforated 11-1/2 by 12, as mentioned in connection with the
issues of 1868, but this statement requires verification before it can
be accepted as authoritative. All values are known entirely imperforate,
the 3c in this condition being first recorded in the _Philatelic Record_
for December, 1882. Writing in the _London Philatelist_ in 1907 Mr. M.
H. Horsley says with regard to these varieties:--"Imperforated copies of
various values were sold over the Post-office counter in Montreal about
the years 1891-3 at their face value, and have been good for postage
whenever people cared to use th