Chap. IV. 



MY COLLECTIONS. 



67 



which he said was very true, and no doubt ac- 

 counted for his not having seen them. As my boat 

 was made fast to the bank of the canal, we were 

 surrounded by crowds of the natives, who, hearing 

 that I was showing my collections to the mandarin, 

 were all anxious to have a peep. Hundreds of 

 questions were put to each other on all sides as 

 to what I could possibly be going to do with the 

 numerous strange things which I had got in my 

 boxes. The more wise amongst the crowd in- 

 formed the others that all the insects were col- 

 lected to be made into medicine, but as to the dis- 

 eases which they were destined to cure, the wisest 

 amongst them were obliged to plead ignorance. 

 My servants and boatmen were often appealed to 

 for light upon the subject, but they only laughed 

 and confessed their entire ignorance ; nor did 

 they take the slightest trouble to convince their 

 countrymen that they were wrong in their con- 

 jectures. 



When I had shown my collections to my visitor, 

 he put the question which the crowd had been dis- 

 cussing outside, and which discussion he had heard 

 as much of as I had done. Had I entered into the 

 merits of the study of entomology, he most cer- 

 tainly would not have been able to bring his mind 

 to believe I was telling him the truth. If, on the 

 other hand, I had told him I intended to make me- 

 dicine of my collections, although he would have 

 believed me, yet this would have been untrue. So 

 I thought I might give him another idea which he 



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