THE SILKWORM ITS REARING AND MANAGEMENT. 51 



this means, he obtained a batch of eggs which next season yielded 

 caterpillars that were nearly ail of the dark brindled form, while 

 the white batch yielded, as before, only an occasional darkie. 

 These latter were then added to the dark stock, which was also 

 weeded of its pale ones, and they were reared separately, as 

 before. Next year the offspring of these were still darker, as well 

 as larger and more vigorous. By proceeding in this way for 

 several generations, he at last managed to get an entire brood of 

 dark worms, which he regarded as the nearest approach to the 

 original appearance of the insect. 



From the above, therefore, it would seem that the present race 

 of silkworms is in a pampered and unnatural condition, some- 

 thing like prize bullocks, or fattened pigs, excellently well adapted, 

 indeed, for the purpose their degenerators had in view in thus 

 tampering with their constitution, but altogether unable to take 

 their place and fight the battle of life amongst their wild con- 

 temporaries. It is no wonder, then, that the animal is now more 

 subject to disease, and that its rearing requires a good deal of 

 care and attention. 



Like most other domestic animals, Bombyx inori exists under 

 the form of a great number of varieties, which differ more or less 

 in the colour and size of the cocoons and in the shape of the 

 moth's wings, and no doubt, if suitable selection of parent insects 

 were made, other peculiarities still might be developed. From 

 the colour of their cocoons, the different varieties are known as 

 " yellows," " whites," "greens," etc. 



A large number of varieties, differing from one another often 

 only in such minute points. as to be undistinguishable except to 

 the expert, are reared in Europe, and in many instances, each 

 different locality has its own peculiar breed. There are, however, 

 three important and well marked European varieties which can 

 be pretty easily distinguished, viz., the Milanese, an Italian race 

 forming fine small yellow cocoons, the Ardeche, a French variety 

 with large yellow ones, and the Brousse, which is a Turkish stock 

 and yields large white cocoons. The yellow varieties are most 

 commonly reared by amateurs in this country, because they are 

 somewhat more hardy than the white races, but in commerce 

 white silk is the most valuable. 



In rearing silkworms, if one wishes to watch their whole life 

 history, of course the first thing to be done is to procure the eggs. 

 If it be desired only to keep a very few, the eggs will no doubt 

 be best obtained from some friend who has already bred the 

 insects and has a stock to spare. But when they are reared for 

 commercial purposes, the eggs must be obtained in enormous 



