in black (as a result of the engraving process used to create the illustration) thereby causing a blackish effect but on closer inspection, the central segment of each colour wheel appears a dark, murky brown. In reference to white, Harris suggested that white represented a "total privation or absence of colour". In addition, Harris suggested that his 'Prismatic' colour wheel reflected the colours "shown in the prism" while the colours depicted in the 'Compound' colour wheel "admits of all colours in nature, not found in the prismatic part". The Natural System of Colours was published again in 1811, this time edited by Thomas Martyn and dedicated to the second President of the Royal Academy, Benjamin West. In 1963, a reproduction of "The Natural System of Colours" was privately printed and distributed by the Whitney Library of Design, New York. The reproduction came about when Faber Birren acquired a copy of Harris' original book and arranged to have it faithfully reproduced. Birren supervised the reproduction and ensured that the engravings of the two colour wheels matched those in Harris' original book. Entomology Harris published his The Aurelian or natural history of English insects in 1766. In 1780 he followed this up with the first scientific descriptions of several Odonata including the banded demoiselle, Calopteryx splendens, and was the first English artist to make illustrations of dragonflies accurate enough to be identified to species. Reviewing his artwork, the odonatologists Albert Orr and Matti Hämäläinen comment that his drawing of a 'large brown' (Aeshna grandis, top left of image) was "superb", while the "perfectly natural colours of the eyes indicate that Harris had examined living individuals of these aeshnids and either coloured the printed copper plates himself or supervised the colourists." However, they consider the larva on the same plate far less good, "a very stiff dorso-lateral view of an aeshnid larva with mask extended. No attempt has been made to depict the eyes, antennae or hinge on the mask or labial palps, all inconceivable omissions for an artist of Harris' talent had he actually examined a specimen", and they suggest he copied it from August Johann Rösel von Rosenhof. In 1778, Harris discovered the Muscina levida [assimilis] species of fly. Two years later, he followed with a discovery of the Muscina prolapsa species of fly. Works Written by Harris Natural System of Colours (1766) The Aurelian or natural history of English insects