30 UTILIZATION OF MINUTE LIFE. 



fine, and to take dyes admirably. The cocoons 

 are carded and afterwards spun. It has been dis- 

 covered that the chrysalis in extricating itself from 

 the cocoon does not cut the thread as had been 

 asserted, and the French have partially succeeded 

 in unwinding the cocoons after the exit of the 

 moth. 



The natural climate of B. Cynthia lies upon the 

 borders of the tropics, hence the difficulty ex- 

 perienced in keeping the insect during the winter 

 in European climates. It is spreading, however, 

 rapidly over the globe. The Governor of Malta 

 sent it to the West Indies in 1854. The French 

 have forwarded it to the Brazils, to the Southern 

 States of North America, and to Egypt. It has 

 likewise spread from Malta to Sicily, and 127,000 

 cocoons have recently been sent from Algeria to be 

 manufactured in Alsace. Although its natural food 

 is the castor-oil plant, it will live and thrive, we are 

 told, upon the Fuller's teasel (Dipsacusfullonum). 



Besides these varieties of silkworm, the members 

 of the Societe d' Acclimatization of Paris are about 

 to make experiments with other species, such as 

 B&mbyx Bauhinia, B. Polypheme, B. Aurota, etc., all 

 exotic insects, at present little known. 



In Victoria, according to the "Australian and 

 New Zealand Gazette," of 1858, a native variety of 

 silkworm has been discovered in the bush. Mr. 



