THE ESCULENT SWALLOW. 103 
to their qualities, distinguished into first or best, sec- 
ond, and third qualities. Caverns that are regular- 
ly managed will afford, in 100 parts, 53 3-10th parts 
of those of the first quality, 35 parts of those of the 
second, 11 7-10th parts of those of the third. The 
common prices for birds’ nests at Canton are, for the 
first sort, 3500 Spanish dollars the picul, or twenty- 
nine doilars per pound; for the second, 2800 Span- 
ish dollars per picul; and for the third, no more than 
1600 Spanish dollars. Inthe Chinese markets a still 
nicer Classification of the edible nests is often made 
than in the island. The whole are frequently di- 
vided into three great classes, under the commercial 
appellation of Paskat, Chi-kat, and Tung-tung, each 
of which, according to quality, is subdivided into 
three inferior orders, and we have, consequently, 
prices varying from 1200 Spanish dollars per picul 
to 4200. These last, therefore, are more valuable 
than their weight in silver. Of the quantity of birds’ 
nests exported from the Indian islands, although we 
cannot state the exact amount, we have data for 
hazarding some probable conjectures respecting it. ° 
From Java there are exported about 200 piculs, or 
27,000 lbs., the greater part of which is of the first 
quality. The greatest part is from the Suluk Archi- 
pelagos, and consists of 530 piculs. From Macas- 
sar there are sent about 30 piculs of the fine kind. 
These data will enable us to offer some conjectures 
respecting the whole quantity ; for the edible swal- 
lows’ nests being universally and almost equally dif- 
fused from, Junk, Ceylon, to New Guinea, and the 
whole produce going to one market and only by one 
conveyance, the junks, it is probable that the average 
quantity taken by each vessel is not less than the 
sum taken from the ports just mentioned. Taking 
the quantity sent from Batavia as the estimate, we 
know that this is conveyed by 5300 tuns of shipping, 
and, therefore, the whole quantity will be 1818 piculs, 
er 242,400 lbs., as the whole quantity of Chinese 
