REARING THE TUSSER SILKWORM. 111 
guided by a practical man, picked out the ones containing 
female moths, as those containing males are useless. The 
cocoons containing female moths are, as a rule, larger, and the 
two extremities are pretty equal and much rounder at the end 
than those of the males; then again the safety cord, by which 
they are attached to the branches, is much thicker, and generally 
proceed from one side of the cocoons. The cocoons containing 
males are always smaller, and one of the extremities is more 
pointed than the other; the safety cord is thin, and generally 
starts from almost the top of the cocoon. The next step is to 
satisfy oneself that the chrysalis is alive, which can easily be 
found out, not only by the weight, but by the sound. ‘The dead 
ones, when shaken, give a sharp rattling noise, and are also very 
light. I tested over and over again the accuracy of these 
statements, and found them to be correct. I then got green 
branches, made bows of them, and threaded the string through 
the loop of the safety cord; six to eight cocoons were put on each 
bow, and hooks made of green branches tied to the bows, so as to 
be able to fix them where needed. ‘This is the primitive, but 
effective, native system by which the cocoons can be kept safely 
and out of harm’s way. 
About the 20th of June, when the rains had well set in, as 
customary, I hung these bows in my verandah and examined the 
cocoons. Generally at about sunset the head of the cocoons are 
moistened by the liquid secretion from the mouth of the insect; 
this is the sign the moth will soon come out. After candle-light, 
from 7 to 8 p.m., the moths come out, and cling to the sides of 
their respective cocoons. It takes them about half an hour to 
settle and stretch their wings, when the males only fly away, and 
not being needed are allowed to do so. At 8 p.m. I had all these 
bows taken out and suspended to a string stretched in the open 
air across my compound, about six yards from my house, so that 
the females could, while clinging to the side of their cocoons, be 
visited by the wild males. ‘The native way is to hang the bows 
under the trees, the advantage of which is that they are better 
protected from the attack of the night birds than when on the 
string; but on the other side run great risks of being destroyed 
by ants and rats, and often are found neglected by the males in 
consequence of their seclusion. To remedy the only defect there is 
in my method, I used to keep men on the watch; a great expense, 
