336 



INSECTS. 



Chap. XVI. 



to buy all tbey brouglit me at the rate of thirty 

 cash for each perfect specimen. I dare say they 

 considered me insane or foolish, and I thought I 

 could detect a look of pity on some countenances ; 

 but the motley group by which I was surrounded 

 was soon scattered in all directions, engaged in 

 turning over stones, lumps of loose earth and 

 rubbish, and eagerly looking for the insects I 

 wanted. The news was soon communicated to the 

 old women in the villages, who were as anxious as 

 the children, and many were the disputes and 

 tumbles they had when scrambling for these 

 beetles. 



By this means I soon procured as many speci- 

 mens of these insects as I required, and then the 

 difficulty was to induce my crowds of collectors 

 to leave off collecting. I have already stated that 

 the natives always believed I was collecting insects 

 for medicine, and, therefore, had no idea of some 

 forty or fifty of each kind being enough. 



Leaving Cading I pursued my journey to the 

 westward in the direction of Tsing-poo. Soon 

 after dark I found myself on the borders of an 

 extensive sheet of water. My boatmen refused to 

 proceed farther that night, telling me they could 

 not find their way in the dark, and that if the 

 wind rose we would be placed in a dangerous 

 position. As this part of the country was un- 

 known to me I considered it best to allow the 

 men to have their own way, and so we brought 

 up for the night. 



