14 



CHAPTER II 



ICHANG 



Packing collections — Packing-cases — Curiosities — Trade of Ichang— 

 Imports — Comnmnication with Hankow — Missions and missionaries 

 — Festival of New Year — Beggars, their misery and harsh treatment 

 — Procession to pray for rain — Joss-house to bring luck — Golden 

 pheasants — Fish of the Yang-tze — Eiver porpoise — Otters for fishing 

 — Cemetery — The Dome — Floating lamps. 



On my return to Ichang I at once set about putting 

 my collections in order, with the view of sending them 

 home at the earliest opportunity for classification. 

 This, of course, took considerable time, not in the 

 arranging and the packing alone, but in seeing that in 

 the first place the tin linings of the cases were perfectly 

 air-tight. Many of them were made in Shanghai, and 

 I always tested them by filling with water, when the 

 slightest fault could be detected. Having been thus 

 tried, they were emptied and thoroughly dried. The 

 upper edges of the tin were flanged inwards, and then 

 when the case was carefully packed a sheet of tin was 

 laid on the flanges and carefully soldered down, taking 

 especial care that the corners were particularly ex- 

 amined, as this was found to be the most diflicult part 



