Silkworm from Japan. O77 
became as dark as ever, owing to the large amount of gum with 
which they were encased; the eggs were then placed on bibulous 
paper to dry; from the moistened eggs a strong glue-like smell 
emanated, and the gum adhered so tenaciously as to be drawn out 
in strings before giving way. The third lot I managed to clean 
somewhat by gently rubbing off the mycelium between my finger 
and thumb, and by the help of a badger’s-hair brush, 
April 28th. Temperature 65° in the shade out of doors; a gentle 
shower fell. The larve had eaten and exuded a dry frass with 
some difficulty: the ejecta remaining at the anal extremity at- 
tached to the side flaps: the refraicheur (an instrument used for 
obtaining a jet of scent or other liquid in the form of a fine spray) 
was used five times at intervals; its effect was to saturate very 
speedily the leaf and insects with a very fine spray, resembling 
the effect of a Scotch mist; the larvae seemed to enjoy its use: 
temperature at noon 64°, minimum during night 60°; during 
the use of the refraicheur one larva tumbled or was blown off, it 
was replaced and settled itself again on the leaf: the larvae seemed 
somewhat shrunken, and had eaten very little. I took tender 
sprays of several varieties of oak and placed thereon the young 
larve and then used the refraicheur ; the Jarvee soon moved, and 
subsequently fed sparingly ; two were discovered entangled in 
each other’s embraces, and it certainly seemed as if one was suck- 
ing the other, but after patiently disengaging them, an event of 
some time, the one that I thought had been bitten seemed none 
the worse, and no wound was discovered; but 1 could have de- 
clared positively during the contretemps that one larva was 
making a meal of the other, and it caused me anxiously to con- 
sider how I could possibly rear them if cannibalism was a com- 
mon trait: the refraicheur was used again after a few hours, all 
five larvee were feeding sparingly. No young larve emerged 
to-day, temperature 60°—62°, a gentle rain falling; the oak buds 
in the garden were bursting, the leaves were | inch long, 
April 29th. No larvee out; minimum temperature during night 
50°, window being open; rain falling. On examining the eggs 
which had been washed, No. 3, which had been treated with a 
solution of liq. potassee, contained one egg which was covered 
with mould; this I rubbed off between my finger and thumb, de- 
nuding the egg of gum and leaving it a pale flesh colour. No. 2, 
treated with water, remained clean, No. 1 (containing Mons. 
Guérin-Méneville’s eggs) were getting mouldy again. The larvee 
had scarcely eaten, but had exuded dry frass; they were sleep- 
ing with their heads retracted and their front segments arched, 
