23 
In rearing Silk-worms great care should be observed in not handling 
them more than is absolutely necessary, and as, in clearing up the litter 
made by the larvie, it is necessary to transport them from one table to 
another, several schemes have been adopted to accomplish this object. 
The first transfer made upon the birth of the worms is usually performed 
with the aid of ordinary mosquito netting, which is lightly laid over the 
hatching eggs. Upon this can be evenly spread freshly-plucked leaves 
or buds. The worms willrise through the meshes of the net, and cluster 
upon the leaves, when the whole net can be easily removed. 
This netting has the disadvantage of sagging in the middle and 
lumping the worms. Netting of a coarser mesh may be used later in 
rearing, but it should be stretched on light frames. This method 
of transfer is such a great convenience and time-saver that in France, 
for many years, paper, stamped by machinery with holes of different 
sizes, suited to the different ages of the worms, has been used. The 
material employed is a stout manila paper, and the perforations vary 
in size, as shown in Fig. 13. I have experienced some difficulty in the 
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Fic. 13.—Perforated paper, showing the sizes of the perforations in the first and last ages (original) 
use of this paper during the fifth age, the worms being so large that 
when the holes are partially obstructed by twigs or leaf-stems they 
must force themselves through the restricted space, often cutting them- 
selves on the sharp edges of the paper. This may be avoided by the 
