must, on the other hand, cut oil' the eggs before May. To the north of 

 my country, where it is -till colder, the injects must be put on even later. 



When the insect eggs are not produced in the country They must 

 be bought in ether places, distant sometimes 1,000 It, Thus in the 

 province of Che-Kiang, at Chin-hua Fu, where this industry is most. 

 nourishing, they buy the eggs in the prefecture of Shao-hsing, T'ai-ehou, 

 and Ilu-chou In the province of Ssii-ch'uan it flourishes most in 

 ITsi-chung Ilsicu and in Chia-ting Fu, and they buy the eggs in 

 T'ung-chuan Fu. The distance in all these cases amounts to 

 several hundred li. The eggs of the wax insect are mature before 

 May, and they may be suspended on the new trees some time 

 before they are hatched. They must be conveyed with all possible 

 speed, otherwise the insects will escape before they can be put upon the 

 trees, to the great loss of the purchasers. Hence the common saying, 

 " Swift horses for buying the wax insects." If they are wrapped in 

 leaves in the way described above, and put into earthen jars, the insects, 

 even if they are hatched, remain in the bundle-, and a delay of two or 

 three days before they are put on the trees is of no consequence. 



From Chin-hua they go every year to Hu-chou, and from Chia-ting 

 to Tnng-ch'nan, to buy eggs, the eggs not being produced in their own 

 country. When asked why, they reply, "Because Chin-hua and C'hia- 

 ting produce the 'flowers' only, not eggs." Hut at Chin-hua native eggs 





I only, not eggs. 

 : value is one-hal 



are produced, and the eggs brought there are 10 times dearer 

 their original cost at Tung-clru 





have often thought over it, and it st 



lems that a you 



ng tree will produce 



■ flowers," an old tree 







" flowers," a tall one many eggs. I 







will pi 'i luo- ;.; \\.<-\\ ally " flowers," 





'ggs principally eggs. 



I. and cultivati- 



d in the south many 



igned) S. W. Eusuell, B.Se., M.D., &c 



London University Scholar in Biology, 

 jspondiug Member of the Zoological Society. 



