22 
were $30 per catty. The best white nests on the same day were prieed afc $64 per 
catty and these were not so fine as those from Berhtila Ishuid. Some of theiie 
nests were Raid to have been imported from Borneo. 
Tlie ])est wl\ite nests from Pnlaxi Berhala are sokl for 80-50 i>er eatty, or 
even more, l)ut tlie quantity is very small. 
Very bad (]nality white nests from Gomantong are Bometimes sold for tlie 
very small figuve of $3.50 per catty. These are usual ly wet nests and much 
discoloured. A small quantity of exceptionally fine nests from Gomantong may 
command iti'20.00 per catty. The white nests of the east coast command a higher 
price than those of Gomantong because they are said to be of a superior quality. 
This may be because of a specific diiference in the birds, but against this view is 
the fact that the black nests also average higher in price and they are certainly 
made by the same species as the black nests of Gomantong. 
Various expei-iments in marketing have been made. The East Coast nests 
have been brought to Sandakan for sale and the Gomantong nests have been sold 
in Singapore. In the former case the nests fetched rather less than usual and in 
the latter case the experiment was a failure because of the expenses incurred by 
the large number of interested parties who followed the nests to Singapore. 
The chief weak points of the system broadly outlined above are firstly that 
the loop-holes between the caves and the Sandakan Customs are many. 
Secondly, even to one unversed in commercial affaii's, the fact that the price 
of the nests is controlled locally sceuis too obvious to be ignored. 
The remedy for leakages in the line of communication is of course increased 
supervision but the ^yvltev does not wish to enlarge on this subject 
The marketing weakness is less easily dealt with and seems to hinge on 
seeking opportunities for wider competition in selling. But it may be that politi- 
cal factors intrude themselves here. 
As an assistance to any fuller enquiry into what may be called the business 
side of the industry the figm-es in the following section may be useful. 
XTX. TEADE. 
The following information is extracted from published statistics : 
In some cases the trade returns seem uncritical and owing to the extensive 
transhipping wdiich takes place at Singapore and Hong Kong it is difficult to trace 
the actual sources of supply, particularly at the latter port : they at least enable a 
general impression of the whole trade to be formed. The following facts are based 
on the period 192(j-28, 
China is of course the chief importer and consumer. The total gi-oss imports 
of nests into that country for the three \ ears were :— 79,837, 77,377 and 36,477 
catties. 
The two main sources of supply are Hong Kong and the Straits : the latter 
region always i>rovides far more nests than Hong Kong, sometimes twice as many 
or even more. 
Minor sources of supply are the Dutch East Indies (direct) Macao, French 
Indo-China, Siam, British India and Japan (inchuling Formosa) but of these only 
