One other imprint was used on the 2 cent value at least, but we have so far seen it on no other. It was 49 mm. long and nearly 2 mm. wide, but otherwise is a duplicate of the smaller "Ottawa" imprint. A portion of it is seen in illustration No. 129 on Plate XIII. The sheet was in the 10 × 10 form, and the imprint appeared at top and bottom only, there being no other marginal inscriptions. From the sheet form it would seem probable that it preceded the use of the sheets of 200 stamps.
The colors of these small stamps were intended to be the same as those of the larger stamps they superseded, and in the main they were so. The orange and orange yellow shades of the 1 cent stamp appear to have been the earlier ones, while the yellow tints came in the later printings. The 2 cent follows the green of its predecessor very closely. The 3 cent, as might be expected, is more prolific in the variety of shades presented. The _Philatelist_ chronicled it (March, 1870) in the "same colour as before," while Moens, in _Le Timbre-Poste_, was more specific and gave it as red-brown. In May, 1873, the _Stamp Collector's Magazine_ lists it in orange-vermilion, while _The Philatelist_ says vermilion and _Le Timbre-Poste_ bright orange. The 5 cent stamp did not vary a great deal except in tone, though _Le Timbre-Poste_ notes it as "black-gray" in July, 1877. The 6 cent was also fairly constant in its brown shade. The 10 cent appeared at first in what, for want of a better name, may be called a rose-lilac. The _Stamp Collector's Magazine_ called it pale rose, and the _American Journal, of Philately_ said it was a "peculiar pale rose" which was a new tint. The latter paper notes it again in a "bright carnation" in March, 1876, while _Le Timbre-Poste_ in August of the same year chronicles it in "pale red instead of lilac."
We have been thus particular in listing the record of early shades because of the changes which come later.
In the January, 1888, issue of the _Halifax Philatelist_ we find the following note under "Canada":--"The plate of the 2 c. stamp has been re-engraved. Color is now dark green". No details of such re-engraving were forthcoming, but in the June, 1888, number of the _Philatelic Record_ is a paragraph which evidently refers to the same stamp:--"A correspondent has sent us a specimen of the 2 cents, green, which he calls a _new die_. We fail to see it; but what we do see is, that the stamp is printed from a lithographed transfer." This surprising statement seemed to excite no special comment save from the sagacious M. Moens, who remarks:[106] "Nous avons également reçu ce timbre qui parait lithographié, par suite d'usure de la planche, croyons-nous, car la feuille entière que nous avons annonce que l'impression a été faite, comme antérieurement, par la British American Bank Note Co. de Montreal et Ottawa, qui ne s'occupe pas d'impression lithographique que nous sachions."