﻿94 
  

  

  "The 
  animal 
  feeds 
  on 
  an 
  evergreen 
  shrub 
  or 
  tree, 
  Ligustrura 
  lucidum, 
  which 
  is 
  

   found 
  throughout 
  Central 
  China, 
  from 
  the 
  Pacific 
  to 
  Thibet, 
  but 
  the 
  insect 
  chielly 
  

   abounds 
  in 
  the 
  province 
  of 
  Sychuen. 
  Much 
  attention 
  is 
  paid 
  to 
  'the 
  cultivation 
  of 
  

   this 
  tree: 
  extensive 
  districts 
  of 
  country 
  are 
  covered 
  with 
  it, 
  and 
  it 
  forms 
  an 
  important 
  

   branch 
  of 
  agricultural 
  industry. 
  The 
  ground 
  is 
  ploughed 
  semi-annually, 
  and 
  kept 
  

   perfectly 
  free 
  from 
  weeds. 
  In 
  the 
  third 
  or 
  fourth 
  year 
  the 
  trees 
  are 
  stocked 
  with 
  xhv 
  

   insect, 
  which 
  is 
  effected 
  in 
  spring, 
  with 
  the 
  nests 
  of 
  the 
  insect. 
  These 
  are 
  about 
  the 
  

   size 
  of 
  a 
  'fowl's 
  head 
  ;' 
  and 
  are 
  removed 
  by 
  witting 
  off 
  a 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  branch 
  to 
  

   which 
  they 
  are 
  attached, 
  leaving 
  an 
  inch 
  each 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  nest. 
  The 
  sticks 
  with 
  the 
  

   adhering 
  nests 
  are 
  soaked 
  in 
  unhusked-rice-water 
  for 
  a 
  quarter 
  of 
  an 
  hour, 
  when 
  they 
  

   may 
  be 
  separated. 
  When 
  the 
  weather 
  is 
  damp 
  or 
  cool, 
  they 
  may 
  be 
  preserved 
  in 
  

   jars 
  for 
  a 
  week, 
  but 
  if 
  warm, 
  they 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  tied 
  to 
  the 
  branches 
  of 
  the 
  trees 
  to 
  l>e 
  

   slocked 
  without 
  delay, 
  being 
  first 
  folded 
  between 
  leaves. 
  By 
  some 
  the 
  nests 
  arc 
  

   probed 
  out 
  of 
  their 
  seat 
  in 
  the 
  bark 
  of 
  the 
  tree, 
  without 
  removing 
  the 
  branches. 
  

   At 
  this 
  period 
  they 
  are 
  particularly 
  exposed 
  to 
  the 
  attacks 
  of 
  birds, 
  and 
  require 
  

   watching. 
  

  

  "In 
  a 
  few 
  days 
  after 
  being 
  tied 
  to 
  the 
  tree, 
  the 
  nests 
  swell, 
  and 
  innumerable 
  

   white 
  insects, 
  the 
  size 
  of 
  ' 
  nits,' 
  emerge, 
  and 
  spread 
  themselves 
  on 
  the 
  branches 
  of 
  

   the 
  tree, 
  but 
  soon, 
  with 
  one 
  accord, 
  descend 
  towards 
  the 
  ground, 
  where, 
  if 
  they 
  find 
  

   any 
  grass, 
  they 
  take 
  up 
  their 
  quarters. 
  To 
  prevent 
  this, 
  the 
  ground 
  beneath 
  is 
  kept 
  

   quite 
  bare, 
  care 
  being 
  taken 
  also 
  that 
  their 
  implacable 
  enemies, 
  the 
  ants, 
  have 
  

   access 
  to 
  the 
  tree. 
  Finding 
  no 
  congenial 
  resting 
  place 
  below, 
  they 
  reascend 
  and 
  fix 
  

   themselves 
  to 
  the 
  lower 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  leaves, 
  where 
  they 
  remain 
  several 
  days, 
  when 
  

   they 
  repair 
  to 
  the 
  branches, 
  perforating 
  the 
  bark 
  to 
  feed 
  on 
  the 
  fluid 
  within. 
  

  

  "From 
  'nits' 
  they 
  attain 
  the 
  size 
  of 
  Pediculus 
  homi. 
  Having 
  compared 
  it 
  to 
  

   this, 
  the 
  most 
  familiar 
  to 
  them 
  of 
  all 
  insects, 
  the 
  Chinese 
  authors, 
  from 
  whose 
  writings 
  

   most 
  of 
  these 
  particulars 
  have 
  been 
  derived, 
  deem 
  all 
  further 
  description 
  superfluous 
  

   Early 
  in 
  June, 
  the 
  insects 
  give 
  to 
  the 
  trees 
  the 
  appearance 
  of 
  being 
  covered 
  with 
  hoar 
  

   frost, 
  being 
  'changed 
  into 
  wax: 
  ' 
  soon 
  after 
  this 
  they 
  are 
  scraped 
  off, 
  being 
  previ 
  

   ously 
  sprinkled 
  with 
  water. 
  If 
  the 
  gathering 
  be 
  deferred 
  till 
  August, 
  they 
  adhere 
  too 
  

   firmly 
  to 
  be 
  easily 
  removed. 
  Those 
  which 
  are 
  suffered 
  to 
  remain 
  to 
  stock 
  trees 
  the 
  

   ensuing 
  season, 
  secrete 
  a 
  purplish 
  envelope 
  about 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  August, 
  which 
  at 
  first 
  

   is 
  no 
  larger 
  than 
  a 
  grain 
  of 
  rice, 
  but 
  as 
  incubation 
  proceeds, 
  it 
  expands, 
  and 
  becomes 
  

   as 
  large 
  as 
  a 
  fowl's 
  head, 
  which 
  is 
  in 
  the 
  spring, 
  when 
  the 
  uests 
  are 
  transferred 
  to 
  

   other 
  trees, 
  as 
  already 
  described. 
  

  

  " 
  On 
  being 
  scraped 
  from 
  the 
  trees 
  the 
  crude 
  material 
  is 
  freed 
  from 
  its 
  impurities, 
  

   probably 
  the 
  skeleton 
  of 
  the 
  insect, 
  by 
  spreading 
  it 
  on 
  a 
  strainer 
  covering 
  a 
  cylindri- 
  

   cal 
  vessel, 
  which 
  is 
  placed 
  in 
  a 
  cauldron 
  of 
  boiling 
  water 
  ; 
  the 
  wax 
  is 
  received 
  into 
  

   the 
  former 
  vessel, 
  and 
  on 
  congealing 
  is 
  ready 
  for 
  the 
  market. 
  

  

  "This 
  while 
  wax, 
  in 
  its 
  chemical 
  properties, 
  is 
  analogous 
  to 
  purified 
  bees'-wax, 
  

   and 
  also 
  spermaceti, 
  but 
  differing 
  from 
  both 
  ; 
  being, 
  in 
  my 
  opinion, 
  an 
  article 
  per- 
  

   fectly 
  sui 
  generis. 
  It 
  is 
  perfectly 
  white, 
  translucent, 
  shining, 
  not 
  unctuous 
  to 
  the 
  

   touch, 
  inodorous, 
  insipid, 
  crumbles 
  into 
  a 
  dry, 
  inadhesive 
  powder 
  between 
  the 
  teeth, 
  

   with 
  a 
  fibrous 
  texture, 
  resembling 
  fibrous 
  felspar 
  ; 
  melts 
  at 
  100*^ 
  Fahr. 
  [sic) 
  ; 
  insolu- 
  

   ble 
  in 
  water, 
  dissolves 
  in 
  essential 
  oil, 
  and 
  is 
  scarcely 
  aflected 
  by 
  boiling 
  alcohol, 
  

   the 
  acids 
  or 
  alkalies. 
  

  

  " 
  The 
  aid 
  of 
  analytical 
  chemistry 
  is 
  needed 
  for 
  the 
  proper 
  elucidation 
  of 
  this 
  most 
  

   beautiful 
  material. 
  It 
  has 
  been 
  supposed 
  to 
  be 
  identical 
  with 
  the 
  white 
  wax 
  of 
  

  

  