Miscellanies. 399 



were necessary, to persuade the Chinamen to collect articles of a kind 

 in which they take no interest ; prejudice and national feelings were 

 to be overcome before they could be induced to make the necessary 

 excursions by land and water, to spots where no foreigner could pen- 

 etrate. By industry, money, flattery, and kindness, he succeeded, 

 however, in amassing a great variety of birds, fishes, reptiles, shells, 

 &LC., and a few animals. Of these, all have arrived in good condition 

 with the exception of the insects ; the butterflies, moths, &c., which 

 when last seen in Canton were particularly rich and curious, have suf- 

 fered most by the delay in unpacking, and by natural causes. 



Mr. Wood was indefatigable for many months in completing the 

 herpetology of China ; the conchology is fully represented in many 

 rich and rare specimens ; and one of the rarest birds, the mandarin 

 duck, with its very peculiar plumage, will be new to many : the China 

 partridge and many beautiful song birds, add variety and interest to 

 the whole. 



The fishes were procured principally at the famous fishing stations 

 at Macao, where Mr. Wood resided for several months for this ex- 

 press purpose ; the specimens are very numerous and rare. There 

 has also been procured a great number of very fine drawings of fish 

 from life in the accurate style of the Chinese, and in fine colors. The 

 stuffed specimens will be neatly and appropriately arranged to afford 

 a study for the naturalist. 



In the department of botany, attention has been paid to procuring 

 accurate drawings of many plants and flowers. These will be exhib- 

 ited in frames. 



The minerals in this collection are iew in number, and together 

 with the primitive rocks of China, embrace some remarkably fine car- 

 bonates of copper, both nodular and radiated. 



The shells include the well known species of the China sea and the 

 Canton river ; the former, however, are of remarkable size and beauty, 

 while a multiplicity of specimens illustrates all their varieties. 



The writer regrets his want of acquaintance with the science of 

 mineralogy, which prevents his more than alluding to the specimens, 

 said to be highly interesting. 



Miscellanies. — The jos-houses, pagodas, articles of virtu, of orna- 

 ment, of stone, of jade, of ivory, bamboo, wood, metal, rice, &c., are 

 so numerous that we can only allude to them. A case of shoes in all 

 their clumsy or ornamental variety, exhibit the form of the compressed 

 female feet,'and the clumsy shape of those of the male ; another of caps 

 fresh from their makers, with the button of office, and the cheaper 

 kinds of the poor ; theatrical dresses, known to be those of the very 



