( c88 ) 



I next went to our Ea(t India Company's warelioufe, at the time 

 the olKcers enij)loyed to fort the fpices were biify in allotting the Nut- 

 megs according to tiieir qualities, and I brought home with mc, two 

 or three handfuls of the refufe tlirown away : any one upon view- 

 ing tliis with the naked eye, would cafily be led to conclude, 

 that it contained mites, but witli my utmofl attention, I could not 

 difcover any mites, much lefs their eggs, and only a few of the dead 

 infects I liave before mentioned. I alfo brought home ten or twelve 

 of the moR damaged Nutmegs, which felt very light in the hand, and 

 were much Ihrivelled : upon examining thefe carefully, I found that 

 moft part of the dull or powder, which upon a curfory view n^ight 

 be taken for mites, was nothing elfe than the dull: of the Nutmegs, 

 and the excrements of maggots which iuid ahnoit entirely fcooped 

 out the infides of tliofe nuts. 



In the examination of thefe and other Nutmegs, it appeared to me, 

 thatthofe which had been gathered unripe, were the mofl liable to be 

 devoured by maggots, becaufe the oily matter in this nut, which per- 

 vades its fubflance in flreaks like the veins of marble, and covers the 

 out\\'ard bark in like manner, is contrary to the nature of thefe mag- 

 gots ; for when I cut open the nuts wherein they were, I found the 

 oily part every where uninjured, and on tlie contrary, all the whitilh 

 part of the nut con fumed, fo that thofe oily parts lay within the jiut, 

 exhibiting to me, as it were, a labyrinth of turnings and windings, 

 w'hereas, the unripe nuts, where the oily fubflance was not comi)letely 

 formed, were in the infides, quite confumed ; I alfo perceived the 

 external coat of the ripe nuts in fome places bored or eaten through, 

 but in my opinion, when the maggots reached the parts were the oil 

 was fully ripened, they defifted from farther biting, and only devoured 

 that part where the young plant is fituated, and which is the thickefl 

 part of the nut. 



I was much furprifed, that I could not difcover any mites among 



