BOMBICIDiE — SILK-WORM MOTHS. 239 



clotli stockings.' And from that time to her death the 

 Queen never wore cloth hose, but only silk stockings."^ 



James I., while King of Scotland, is said to have once 

 written to the Earl of Mar, one of his friends, to borrow a 

 pair of silk stockings, in order to appear with becoming 

 dignity before the English Ambassador ; concluding his 

 letter with these words: ''For ye would not, sure, that 

 your King should appear like a scrub before strangers." 

 This shows the great rarity of silk articles at that period 

 in Scotland. 



In 1629, the manufacture of silk was become so consider- 

 able in London, that the silk trowstersof the city and parts 

 adjacent were incorporated; and in 1661, this company em- 

 ployed above forty thousand persons. The revocation of 

 the Edict of Nantes, in 1685, contributed in a great degree 

 to promote the manufacture of this article ; and the inven- 

 tion of the silk-throwing machine at Derby, in 1719, added 

 so much to the reputation of English manufactures, that 

 even in Italy, according to Keysler, the English silks bore 

 a higher price than the Italian. ^ 



Rev. Stephen Olin tells us that the Mohammedans of 

 Arabia will not allow strangers to look into their cocoon- 

 eries, on account of their superstitious fear of the evil eye, 

 of the influence of which the Silk- worms are thought to be 

 peculiarly susceptible.^ 



The silk of the nests of the social caterpillar of the 

 Bomhyx Madrona, was an object of commerce in Mexico in 

 the time of Montecusuma; and the ancient Mexicans pasted 

 together the interior layers, which may be written upon 

 without preparation, to form a white, glossy pasteboard. 

 Handkerchiefs are still manufactured of it in the Intendency 

 of Oaxaca.* 



A complete nest of these Silk-worms, called in Brazil 

 sustillo, was sent by the Academy of Sciences and Natural 

 History to the King of Spain. The naturalist, Don Antonio 

 Pineda, sent also a piece of this natural silk paper, measuring 

 a yard and a half, of an elliptical shape, which, however, is 

 peculiar to them all.^ 



1 Stow's Chronicle, edit. 1631, p. 887. 



2 Keysler, Trav., i. 289. 



3 Olin, Travels. 



* Polit. Essay on N. Spain, iii. 59. 



5 Skinner's Fres. Slate of Peru, p. 346, note. Southey's Hist, of 

 Brazil, iii. 644. Calancha's Augustine Hist, of Peru, i. 66. 



