650 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1914. 
Figure 85 (pl. 9) is from a very old Chinese drawing. It is one of 
a set of pictures representing the operations of sericulture. The first 
edition of the book from which it is taken is said to be of the twelfth 
century A. D. 
It is the representation of a very perfect hand loom for silk weav- 
ing. The weaver is shown sitting on the edge of a square hole in the 
ground, in which a set of treadles are seen. The framework of the 
loom is very carefully and solidly constructed. The front or cloth 
beam is shown with the reed hanging freely between it and the hed- 
dles. The back, or warp beam, is out of the picture, and the warp 
Fig. 33.—Typical English hand loom. 
slants toward it after passing through the reed and heddles. The 
heddles themselves are very carefully fitted up and are worked by 
means of the treadles in the pit, which are connected by cords to 
levers. ‘These levers may be seen at the top of the picture. 
The weaver, sitting in front of the loom, has just, by a blow of 
the reed, beaten up the weft and is preparing to open the next shed 
and throw the shuttle which he holds ready in his right hand. 
It will at once be noticed that the Chinese loom (fig. 35, pl. 9) has 
several heddles, instead of only two shown in the English loom (fig. 
33). In fact, there are two sets of heddles working together, one set 
having 10 and the other 5 heddles. 
