AND THE ZOOLOGY OF CHINA 95 



catch an insect the net is brought near to it, which not 

 noticing the transparent texture during its flight, falls on 

 and sticks by the wings to the tenacious web. After this the 

 collector, holding the bamboo between the legs, takes off the 

 insect with his two hands, and thus the collector gets the 

 insect in an excellent state. To collect cicada seated high 

 on the trees the same hoop is also used; but more frequently 

 a long bamboo coated on the end with the white gluish sap 

 of the banyan tree or by a glue made from pine resin and of 

 a wood oil — T'ung-yu (Aleurites cordata). By a cautious 

 approach of the bamboo end to the insect the latter sticks to 

 the bamboo by its large wings. 



This method of catching insects has been known to the 

 Chinese for a long time. 



XXX. — The Use of the Horse-Tail. 

 (Equisetum hyemale L.) in China. 



Among the numerous interesting and useful Chinese 

 plants attention is drawn to the so called winter horse-tail 

 employed by Chinese in medicines, and polishing wood. 

 This horse-tail is very common in North China in the 

 provinces of Kiangsi and Shensi from whence a large quantity 

 is exported, chiefly to the South, pre-eminently as a medi- 

 cinal herb. 



It is seen in other parts of North China and Manchuria, 

 where the horse-tail has a trade importance. Equisetum is 

 only found in marshes mostly among forests. It has a 

 compact root system and stalks without branches of 3-6 m.m. 

 in breadth and J-l meter in length placed very closely to 

 each other. The fructification bearing spores are seen on 

 the top of the green shoots. The stalks are round with 

 20-24 furrows, inside hollow, thanks to the aerial cavity. 

 The exterior coat is silicious; the surface of the stalks are 

 compact; the whole covered with silicious hard small knobs. 

 On account of the silex in the covering the stalks of 

 Equisetum (;fc S£ !^) with its 24 furrows represents a wonder- 

 ful material for delicate polishing not only of wood, but of 

 brass, silver and other metals; and these stalks are, therefore, 

 used in large numbers by Chinese curio workshops in 

 Foochow and in many other places in South China to polish 

 all possible fine wood-work. As a general rule in Foochow 

 the wooden figures are cut out of lichee, lungan and 

 camphor woods (Nephelium litchi L., N. longana Cowl, and 

 Cinnamomum camphora). Firstly they are polished with 

 shack skin (^> fo ft), but for the final polishing the stalks of 

 Equisetum are employed. A Chinese, holding in his hands 

 a piece of the horse-tail, 2-3 inches long, rubs the wood. 



