16 BULLETIN" 141_, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



or " tallow " occurs on the seeds as in the MyHca cerifera, from which 

 myrtle wax candles are made occasionally in eastern North America. 

 The process of extraction is similar, freeing the wax from the seeds 

 by means of heat and pressure. ' The Chinese tree tallow has a rather 

 low melting point, below summer temperature, and it is foimd neces- 

 sary to put on such candles a substantial coating of beeswax or 

 insect wax. In southern China candles of animal fats are so covered. 



The Cocus pela, or Chinese wax insect is found on the Ligustrum 

 japonicum, L. ohtusifolium, L. tihola, and Rhus succedaneum. The 

 eggs are gathered from nests on the above trees in the fall and kept 

 wrapped in reed leaves. At the beginning of May the eggs are placed 

 upon the proper trees, usually Fraxinus chinensis, where they hatch 

 about the 1st of June and begin wax making. In September the 

 wax is scraped from the twigs where it has been deposited, melted 

 with boiling water, and cast into cakes. It is a white crystalline 

 substance resembling the best spermaceti. It melts at 152° F. and 

 is thus suitable for summer candles. The Cocus pela is a relative 

 of the lac insect, which produces a valuable product known as shellac. 



This is an interesting example of man's skill in adapting the habits 

 of insects to his needs. So far as the candle is concerned, the in- 

 dustry is aided by the products from two insects, the Cocus and 

 the bee. 



It appears that the beeswax candle has a fairly ancient history 

 in the West among the historic nations. While there is evidence 

 that the ancient Aryans practiced apiculture, using dome-shape 

 hives of coiled straw, there is no basis for the belief that candles 

 were used. Candle making in China applies notable skill in the 

 industry. The first requirement are slender rods finished from 

 bamboo and tapered from base to point. (PI. 9a, fig. 1, Cat. No. 

 325619; Chinese Centennial Commission, Philadelphia, 1876.) The 

 next in order is a spill or tube of paper wound spirally, with rush 

 pith forming the wick (fig. 5). This is slipped on the bamboo rod. 

 The Chinese thus solved the problem of the high-capillarity wick. 

 (PI. 9a, fig. 2, Cat. No. 325619; Chinese Centennial Commission, 

 Philadelphia, 1876.) The combination is then dipped in the melted 

 wax or fat and cooled alternately until a candle of the caliber re- 

 quired is secured, forming the finished candle shown in Plate 9(Z, 

 Figure 3 (15.7 inches (40 cm.) long). The pink candles of graded 

 size (figs. 6-10) are made by the same method as are the large 

 candles. In the latter a vegetable stem is used instead of a bamboo 

 rod upon which the rush pith wick is wound. (PI. 9«, fig. 4, Cat. 

 No. 93478, Ningpo, China; Royal Gardens, Kew, England; 8 inches 

 (20.5 cm.) long.) This specimen is wax incased, green, and orna- 

 mented with characters, as is the other specimen. (PI. 9(2, fig. 11, 



