and of a deeper green, with perfectly smooth edges. I have observed 

 it growing among orange trees near Fu-liu. The leaf stems spring in 

 pairs, and not alternately, from the central twig. I w:is too late to see 

 the (lowers, but a description of them is supplied by Captain Gill. 



" These trees,* 1 he writes, '"are in appearance like an orange, with a 

 " small leaf. They have a very small white flower, that grows in large 

 ** sprays now (20th July), covered with masses of blossom, and a strong 

 " smell, which was not very sweet, filled the air."* 



The wax tree of Chia-ting is kept polled so as to supply young 

 shoots, and in this state it resembles i dg reduced to 



a wry ugly stump some eight or nine feet high. All over the Chia-tiny 

 plain it is planted on the divisions of the rieefieids, in such quantities 

 that at 80 or 100 yards distance from the traveller the trees close in 

 upon one another, as it were, and shut out the view. The wax tree is 

 deciduous. It has pointed ovate leaves of a light green colour, smaller 

 than those of i i rnately from 



the twigs. 



Passages from native works referring to the trees have been extracted 

 and translated by Professor Stanislaus Julien, and are reproduced in the 

 "Univers Pittoresque," in the volumes which treat of China. The 

 Professor sums up his deductions in the statement that "the Chinese 

 " rear wax insects from three kinds (of trees), of which two are well 

 " known in Europe. 'They are the Xil-<i,.,t {Rhus sum danea, accord- 

 " ing to Adolphe Brogniart), the T'uug-ch' iug l Li gust rum. glahruui, 

 " according to A. Remusat), and the Sliui-chiu (recognised by A. 

 " Remusat as Hibiscus syria-cus.)" 



These native names arej unknown in Svi-cImkiii, hut the description 

 given above may perhaps aid botanists in judging whether they are 

 justified. 



The decline of so simple and curious ;ni indu<trv eannot be viewed 

 without a feeling of regret, but the following figures show how the 

 production and trade is failing. The export of eggs from Chku-rh'aug 



In 1876 about 30,000 burdens. 

 „ 1877 „ 12,000 „ 

 „ 1878 „ 1,200 

 A burden consists of 64 packets, each packet containing 18 

 Chinese ounces (or 24 English ounces) of eggs ; but the heat of the 

 s the weight by a" 

 1 1 nearly four cc 

 The production of 

 has therefore been roughly — 



In 1876, 10,000,000 lbs. 



„ 1877, 4,000,000 „ 



„ 1878, 400,000 „ 



The cost price of the eggs in Chien-ch'ang ranges from 6/. to 



per burden, and about 26.?. per burden must be paid at various po 



b Chinese book-nai 



