108 SELECTED NOTES FROM 



legs. I can detect no separate head, nor any eyes. The mouth 

 is of the usual Aphis type. I would draw attention to the two 

 little tubes, or what appears to be the representatives of such, 

 situate at the end of the abdomen, which ants are in the habit of 

 " milking " in rose and other Aphides for honey-dew. 



One of the most interesting features in these specimens is the 

 distinctness with which the trachial system can be seen. In the 

 specimen drawn, the air has been expelled from the main trunks, 

 and I cannot by any means see them, but they are visible in two 

 of the other specimens. I am uncertain whether three spiracles 

 on each side is the right number, but I cannot detect any more. 



H. M. J, Underhill. 



Rice-Paper. — Chinese rice-paper (so-called) is now known to 

 be prepared from the. pith of a shrubby tree, Aralia papyrifera, 

 which grows chiefly in the forests and on the hill-sides of For- 

 mosa, attaining a height of from 12 to 14 feet, and propagating 

 itself by suckers thrown up from the roots, like the bamboo. 

 The leaves are large, from one to two feet long, and even more in 

 their greatest width, palmate, with five to seven digitations, dark- 

 green on their upper surface and downy white below. Their foot- 

 stalks and the unexpanded leaf-buds are thickly covered with a 

 brownish down, which easily rubs off, and which consists of 

 stellate hairs. Large drooping panicles of greenish flowers rise 

 above tlie extremities of the stem and branches, giving the tree a 

 very handsome effect, and its general appearance is said somewhat 

 to resemble that of ihe castor-oil tree. The young suckers are 

 transplanted by the Chinese, lirst, into pots, and then into ground 

 prepared for them, where they are carefully tended till the plant 

 is fully grown. They are then cut down, the branches removed, 

 and the stems left to soak for some days in running water to 

 loosen the wood and facilitate the removal of the pith. This, 

 after being cleaned, is cut into cylinders of convenient length and 

 passed on to the paper-cutter, who, taking a sharp, broad-bladed 

 knife, makes a slight longitudinal incision in the cylinder, which 

 is then turned round gently and regularly on the edge of the knife 

 till the whole available material is planed off in thm, even slices. 

 Much care and dexterity are required to produce sheets of even 

 thickness. On these sheets, as is well known, the Chinese 

 execute admirable drawings and paintings. They are also exten- 

 sively used in the manufacture of artificial flowers, and are so 

 cheap that at some places 100 sheets — each about three inches 

 square — may be bought for three half-pence. The plant has been 

 introduced into New South Wales, where it thrives well, and pro- 

 pagates itself freely in the open air. It has also flowered ire- 



