34 UTILIZATION OP MINUTE LIFE. 



were not intended to be covered. The investi- 

 gations showed that on an average two of these 

 larvae can produce a square inch of silk, and when 

 employed in great numbers their produce is astonish- 

 ing. Mr. Habenstreet succeeded thus in manufac- 

 turing an air-balloon about four feet in height, one 

 or two shawls, and a complete dress with sleeves, 

 without any seams. The tissue thus curiously 

 produced resembled the lightest gauze, which it 

 surpassed in fineness. We are told that the Queen 

 of Bavaria once wore a robe of this description over 

 her court dress. 



On mentioning these experiments to my friend, 

 M. Babinet, of the French Academy of Sciences, he 

 said the only thing that could be urged against the 

 use of this silk of the Tinea punctata was its exces- 

 sive lightness ; the slightest breath of wind is suffi- 

 cient to carry away a whole dress. We will only 

 add to what we have already said concerning these 

 silk-producing insects, that De Azora speaks of a 

 peculiar spider in Paraguay which envelopes its eggs 

 in a yellow cocoon of an inch in diameter, and whose 

 silk is spun into dresses by the inhabitants of Para- 

 guay. The colour of this silk is very permanent. 



The Ichneumon flies of the West Indies, which 

 feed upon the indigo and cassada plants, furnish a 

 silk of peculiar whiteness, which is not yet employed. 



Silk of Bombyx mori is imported in the raw state, 



