WILD SILKWORMS. 95 



their wings. To secure this end, it is often the practice to thread 

 the brood cocoons on a string and hang them up in some warm 

 place as the time for the appearance of the moths approaches. 

 In this way, each moth has the cocoon immediately above to help 

 itself out with, and on emergence, is at once in the perpendicular 

 position. A chaplet of this kind, with a number of newly 

 expanded moths upon it, is a very pretty sight. Dr. Wallace 

 furnishes a vivid description of the emergence of a Cynthia from 

 one of the cocoons in a chaplet. which, as it gives a very clear 

 idea of the usual method of such emergences, is worth quoting. 

 He says : " See ! a quiver and a shake runs through that chaplet ! 

 Which is the cocoon wherein newly-born life struggles to be free ? 

 Another and another struggle, and we detect the individual 

 cocoon : see ! a greyish yellow face emerges, then the head, then 

 a leg, then the opposite one ; now a third leg, then a wing on the 

 same side is partially pulled out, the shoulders being bent over on 

 the opposite side ; then a fourth leg (the first two pairs), and now, 

 bending first to one side and then another, the limp wings are 

 withdrawn from the cocoon, and then with the last pair of legs, 

 the large, lax abdomen tumbles over the side, and, as it were, 

 drags the willing insect down to the base of the cocoon, where, 

 firmly fixing its pretty, tiny feet, the moth rests to gather strength 

 for the next task, that of expanding and drying its wings. The 

 whole process of birth does not occupy a minute." 



This insect will eat the young shoots of laburnum, lilac, or 

 cherry, if it cannot get its natural food, the Ailanthus tree ; Dr. 

 Wallace also reared a peculiar dwarf form from caterpillars fed on 

 celery. It is an easy insect to rear in the open air, and indeed 

 seems to be the only Asiatic species introduced into Europe that 

 is of a sufficiently hardy nature to become thoroughly acclimatised. 

 The cocoon is small, and open at one end, and therefore, though 

 the silk is strong, its reeling is difficult, hence ailanthiculture is 

 yet little more than a hobby. 



Closely related to the above Eastern insects are two from the 

 United States, Platysamia Cecropia, and Callosamia Promethea. 

 The wings are less deep and angular than those of Cynthia and 

 Atlas, and are coloured with various shades of brown, somewhat 

 relieved with pink. The " eyes " in Cecropia are crescentic, and 

 coloured with pink and white, scarcely a trace of the transparent 

 " windows " being left. The dark brown basal half of the wing is 

 bordered by a band of first white, and then pink, which shades 

 off into brown. The body, which is short, is very prettily banded, 

 the edge of each segment being deeply bordered with a pale 

 fringe. There is also a distinct dark eye-spot near the tip of the 



