Quands ils deviennent vieux, ils sont d'un châtain qui tire sur le noir. C'est alors que
formant de petits pelotons, ils s’attachent aux branches de l'arbre. Ces pelotons sont au
commencement de la grosseur d'un grain de mil : vers l'entrée du printemps ils commencement
à grossir et à s ’étendre. Ils sont attachez aux branches de l'arbre eu forme
de grappes, et à les voir, on diroit que l ’arbre est chargé cle fruits. Quand ils sont sur le
point de mettre bas leurs oeufs, ils font leur nid de même que les chenilles. Chacun de
ce nids ou pelotons contient plusieurs centaines de petits oeufs blancs.
" Dans le tems que le soleil parcourt la seconde moitié du Taureau on les cueille, et
les ayant enveloppez dans des feü illes de Y o (espèce de simple à larges feü illes) ; on les
suspend à différons arbres. Après que le Soleil est sorti du S igne de Gémaux, ces
pelotons s'ouvrent, et le s oeufs produisent des insectes, qui sortant les uns après les
autres des feü illes dont ils sont enveloppez, montent sur Tarbre où ils font ensuite
leur cire.
“ On doit avoir soin d'entretenir le dessous de l ’arbre toujours propre, et de le
garantir des fourmis qui mangent ces insectes. On voit deux autres arbres auxquels on
peut attacher les insectes, e t qui porteront également de la cir e ; l ’un qui se nomme
T /h i tchu, et Tantre qui est un e spèce d'arbre aquatique, dont les feü illes ressemblent
assez à celles du Tilleul.
“ Qu aü te z et effects de cette cire.— Elle est d'une nature qui n’est ni froide ni chaude,
et qui n'a aucune qualité nuisible. E lle fait croître los chairs, elle arrête le sang, elle
apaise les douleurs, elle rétablit les forces, elle unit les nerfs, e t rejoint les os, prise en
poudre dont on forme de p illules, e lle s fait mourir les vers qui causent la phtisie.
Tchi hen dit. La Cire blanche est sous la dénomination du métal; ses esprits
corroborent, fortifient, et sont propres à ramasser et à resserrer. C'est une drogue
absolument nécessaire aux chirurgiens: elle a des effects admirables, quand on la fait
entrer avec de la peau de H o hoang dans la composition de l'onguent, qui fait renaître et
croître les chairs.” D u Halde, Vol. I V . p . 4 9 5 , large Folio, 1735.
Sir G. Staunton, in his learned work, has also described the W a x insect; he found
it at Turon Ba y , in Cochin China, and has caused it to be represented in a vignetre
plate, with the following description. “ Among other objects o f natural curiosity,
accident led to the observation o f some swarms o f uncommon insects busily employed
upon small branches o f a shrub, then neither in fruit nor flower, but in its general habit
bearing somewhat the appearance o f a privet. These insects, each not much exceeding
the size o f the domestic fly, were o f a curious structure, having pectinated appendages
rising in a curve, bending towards the head, not unlike the form o f the tail feathers o f
the common fowl, but in the opposite direction. Every part o f the insect was, in colour,
o f a perfect white, or at least completely covered with a white powder. The particular
h e m i p t j :r a .
stem frequented by those insects, was entirely whitened by a substance or powder o f that
colour, strewed upon it by them. The substance or powder was supposed to form the
white wax o f the East. This substance is asserted, on the spot, to have the property, by
a particular manipulation, o f g iving in certain proportions, with vegetable oil, such
solidity to the composition as to render the wh ole equally capable o f being moulded into
candles. Th e fact is ascertained, indeed, in some degree, by the simple experiment o f
dissolving one part o f this wax in tliree parts o f o live oil made hot. The whole, when
cold, will coagulate into a mass, approaching to the firmness o f bees wax. ’
From the accurate description and figures o f the latter author, it is evident, the
creature that produces the white wax o f China, is an imperfect insect, or technically
speaking, the pupa o f an insect, which, in its mature state, is furnished with wings. This
is clearly the fact, for the rudiments o f wings are visible in the figures alluded to .*
Stoll, in his work on Cimices and Cicadæ, g ives a figure o f this immature insect
under the title o f D e W a ld ra a g ster (Nymphe) or L a Cigale P o r te Laine, fig. 144,
together with the winged insect at fig. 145 ; and it is on this authority the latter is
introduced in the annexed plate. There is, indeed, much similarity between the pupa
and the imago, and some striking characteristics are common to both. Th ey agree in
the structure o f the antennæ and proboscis, or sucking trunk ; the abdomen o f the winged
insect is also loaded with a fine white powder, and is furnished at the extremity witli a
tuft o f down and hairs, similar to that so eminently conspicuous iii the pupa state. We
have, however, observed the white powder and tuft on the abdomen o f Lystra lanata.
and have reason to imagine it also forms a white wax, similar to that o f the present
species.
Fabricius, in his Species Insectornm, described this insect as a variety o f Cicada
limbata, which is o f a light green colour, with a red margin ; that which Stoll has
figured, and with which this agrees, is o f a pale brown, with a black margin. These are
the species and v a rie ty Fabricius describes, for the specimens referred to by Fabricius,
in the collection o f Sir Joseph Banks, agree precisely with our insects. Fabricius notes
the habitat Africa. Stoll received the green specimen from the island o f Ceylon ; tlie
pale sort from Africa. The larva we have represented is from China ; and the imago
was brought from the East Indies, by the late Mr. Ellis.
T h is may a c co u n t for a p a ssage in Go rd o n s description o f C hina , where h e says, “ In th e p la in s ” o f
llo u q u a n g “ a re v a s t num be rs o f little worms th a t p ro d u c e wax, in th e same m an n e r as bees do h o u ey ,” if
we u n d e rs ta n d b y woriizs, insects n o t arrived a t m a tu rity ; for th e la rv a o f Bombyx Mori, is also termed a silk
worm, th o u g h it Ijelongs to th e m o th tribe when perfect.