October, '14] HOWARD: AN INCIDENT IN PARASITE COLLECTING 381 



succeeded in getting eleven boys who had brought in 2,290 cocoons 

 which were paid for on the spot. The next day the promise was that 

 thirty boys should be sent out. 



Fiske then returned to Naples, and the cocoons began to come from 

 Gioia Tauro. Naples at this time was practically quarantined on 

 account of the cholera. On the 6th of July a large lot had accumu- 

 lated, and a boat of the Lloyd Sabaudo Company was to sail that day 

 for New York. The company officials said that they would not take 

 the parasites. Fiske called on the United States Consul, who told him 

 he would do well to see the medical officer and get a certificate from 

 him to the effect that he was willing to pass the packages and that there 

 would be no trouble on their account in New York. The medical 

 officer was out to luncheon, so he got the packages down from cold 

 storage where they had been placed on receipt from Gioia Tauro, and 

 then back to the Consul's, but there was no medical officer and he was 

 told that it would be impossible to see him that afternoon because he 

 was attending a conference. But the Consul wrote out a formal letter 

 on fine stationery, and armed with this Fiske went back to the steam- 

 ship authorities. They were impressed by the seal and the embossed 

 heading, and while they were considering it the captain of the vessel 

 came in and absolutely refused to allow the parasites to go in his 

 refrigerator. He said that if Fiske would let them go in the hold of 

 the vessel he might consider it perhaps, but not in the refrigerator. 



Undaunted, Fiske started for the American Express Company office, 

 calling en route at the International Sleeping Car Company's office, 

 where he found that if he could start the sending on the 6.50 train that 

 evening it might possibly go through by express train without missing 

 any of the series of close connections, in time to be shipped on the 

 French Line boat La Lorraine from Havre the following Saturday at 

 7 p. m., arriving in New York on the 15th or* the day after it would 

 have to leave Naples on the next possible boat that sailed. 



But he had almost no money and it was 4 o'clock in the afternoon. 

 Nevertheless, he went to the American Express Company offices and 

 proposed that some one should undertake to see it through, charges 

 to be collected from the State of Massachusetts or from the United 

 States Government. The Traffic Manager admitted that he would 

 like the trip, and said that he was well acquainted with the French 

 language and the idiosyncracies of the French customs officials. 

 The only difficulty was to get the parasites into some shape so that they 

 would look like baggage, whereupon the head of the shipping depart- 

 ment led the way to the rear of the offices and pointed out a pile of old 

 trunks that had been blockading the passage for 'a long time. They 

 were a motly lot, but when sorted over five were found that Fiske 



