The march of the seasons brings about many events which I delight to note, investigate and report upon to my readers. The past week has been full of them. Driving from town. last Saturday evening, September 20, to my home in the Western District of Shanghai, I noticed that the Chinese all along Avenue Edward VII. Avenue Foch and Great Western Road had lighted candles set out in rows on the pavements in front of their shops, and were burning paper imitation money and incense. No, they were not doing this to ward off the danger that threatened the Sun next day when the much discussed eclipse would -take place, as one local newspaper had it, but were offering their regular annual tribute to the deity known as Ti Tsang, the "Vanquisher of Hell," on his birthday, the 30th day of the 7th Moon. This date in the Chinese Lunar calendar is also the last day of the Festival of Hungry Ghosts, when, according to Buddhist beliefs. all souls allowed out from Hades during the 7th Moon must return whither they came to go on with their. punishments. ie sun's Incidentally, the almost complete darkness predicted by most of the local newspapers did not take place. Evidently they had misunderstood the forecast issued by Siccawei Observatory, in which the words "total darkness" referred to the face of the sun and not to conditions on the Cart several. months have almost disappeared st much trouble with radio reception for least for the time being. The last time T looked mars The large groups con-gaining big spots had paised round to the other taining hi ts the new could rather than cherish.
Be that as it may, however, I derive a great deal of interest ion from these ere of these big black ants under my but it is not a large one, for there are not be seen, Harvest-m vases may be greedily there. The other day a large butterfly with black and white striped wings with rows of red dots on the hind pair came to one of my dumps, and was so eager for the sweet persimmon juice strange cai of the Brahmaea moi Bratmaca Hearayi, White), a specimen of which was sent to me recently, having been taken from a lilac tree. This cai reaches a large size, is variegated black and brown. in colour, is' covered with excresences, and has long black sucker-legs, quite different those of other caterpillars. When alarmed it suddenly shoots out many long wavy tentacles from knobs at either end of its back tail, which ell calcuspots on the k like an owl's head The cie Possibly they have all died by now. The time I heard the call of the big black in. cicada on with them goes the summer, and the depart of summer is always a melancholy occasion in one's life. It is true that autumn is often the most pleasant period of the whole year, but one cannot quite feeling that winter is nearing day by day, and this coming winter, by every sign and portent, is going to be a trying prie.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.