1848.] Linnean Society. 357 



fact that each of the sepals when dried readily splits down the middle 

 by a clean line into two distinct segments. 



The paper was illustrated by detailed illustrations of the structure 

 of the plant. 



February 1 . 



Robert Brown, Esq., V.P., in the Chair. 



The Rev. James Hamilton and Henry George Harrington, Esq , 

 were elected Fellows. 



J. O.Westwood.Esq., F.L.S. &c., exhibited specimens of the silk 

 spun by the caterpillars of the new Indian silk moth, Bomhyx Hut- 

 toni, Westw. (figured in the 'Cabinet of Oriental Entomology,' pi. 12. 

 fig. 4), communicated to him by Capt. T. Hutton. After stating the 

 importance of the discovery of a new and valuable product of this 

 nature in our foreign territories, and that the ' Transactions of the 

 Linnean Society ' contained a valuable paper on East Indian silk 

 insects by Gen. Hardwicke, Mr. Westwood observed that the insect 

 discovered by Capt. Hutton was congeneric with the real silk insect, 

 Bombyx Mori, a native of China, whereas those described in the 

 Transactions of the Society belonged to another genus, Saturnia, 

 and that consequently the silk spun by the new species was likely 

 to approximate nearer to that of B. Mori in its qualities than that 

 of the large Indian Saturnice. The new species had been disco- 

 vei'ed to be a native of the hills about Mussooree, on the south- 

 ern side of the Himalaya, 6500 feet above the level of the sea, 

 and its caterpillar (like that of B. Mori) feeds on the leaves of the 

 wild mulberry, which is another reason why the qualities of the 

 silk should resemble that spun by the true silkworm. The perfect 

 moth is about the size of B. Mori, but has darker- coloured wings, 

 with a large, blackish lunate spot near the tips of the hooked fora- 

 wings. 



Specimens of the natural fibre of the silk, and some with the 

 threads severally composed of three, six, nine and twelve fibres were 

 exhibited, those with nine and twelve fibres having been pronounced 

 by the Delhi silk-workers to be worth 25 rupees per seer, that is, 

 about 25 shillings per pound, at 2 shillings per rupee. 



