Ambergris, Tortoise-shell

41: Ambergris

In the Western Arabian Sea, there are many whales [dragons]. When a whale sleeps, his spittle floats on the water, collects and hardens.

The fishermen gather it as a most valuable substance. Fresh ambergris is white. It turns red when slightly stale, and black when it is old.

It is not fragrant nor bad-smelling. It is like pumice-stone but lighter.

It is wrong to say:

• that a special perfume is derived from ambergris, and
• that the odor of ambergris can bring out other scents

Ambergris does not affect the properties of perfumes in any way, either by improving or by spoiling them.

It merely has the power to keep fumes together.

When a quantity of genuine ambergris is mixed and burned with incense, a straight column of clear blue smoke rises high up into the air. The smoke will not dissipate. Those present could cut the column of smoke with a pair of scissors. This is occasioned by the virtue left in the ambergris by which the wale exhales cloud-borne buildings.

42. Tortoise-shell

The tai-mei resembles kui-yuan. Its back is covered with 13 plates regularly marked with black and white spots and their edges with four jagged like a saw.

It has four fins instead of feet. Its front fins are longer than the hind ones, serving as paddles for moving in the water.

These fins, as well as the head, are marked like the plates.

The plates of old animals are thick and show the black and white parts of the pattern quite clearly.

Young specimens have thinner plates with an indistinct pattern.

They are caught on moon-light nights during the autumn. Their flesh is edible.

They come from:

• Brunei
• Visayas
• Mindanao
• Java

43. Bees-wax

Huang-la or yellow wax comes from Visayas, Maharlika, Chonla India, Sumatra, and such depths of hills like countries.

The habitat of the bee that produces it is in the deep hills and the remotest valleys of the interior where it builds nests

• in old trees
• on the banana plant
• in caves in the rocks.

The bee is larger than the Chinese bee and darker in colour.

The natives cover their bodies with a leather coat then drive out and disperse the swarm by making a smudge of foul-smelling grasses. They then take the nest and squeeze the honey out.

The wax remains in the nest, which is melted into a proper shape.

Some dealers adulterate it by mixing with lime and rock salt.

The rank of their quality is:

1. Sumatra
2. Chonla India
3. Visayas, Maharlika, Mindanao