Restoration of the Silkworm. 299 
that of some of the smaller Bombyces, but there is not silk enough 
to render them worth cultivating. ‘The larva of one of my Mus- 
sooree species, unlike the others, is hairy. 
Before proceeding further it may be well to observe that in 
France and Italy, where none but annuals can be cultivated, the 
same degree of uncertainty as to species appears to prevail; four 
varieties of Bombyx Mori are there distinguished from each other 
as follows :— 
First. The small silkworm of three casts or moults. 
Second. The large silkworm of four moults. 
Third. The common white silkworm of four moults. 
Fourth. The common yellowish silkworm of four moults. 
The eggs of the first of these are said to weigh one-eleventh 
less than those of the common silkworm; that is to say, that while 
39,168 of the latter weigh an ounce, it requires for the same 
weight 42,620 of the smaller one. ‘The worms and cocoons are 
also said by Count Dandolo to be two-fifths smaller than those of 
the common sort. ‘ The cocoons, also,” he says, ‘ are composed 
of finer and more beautiful silk, whence it would appear that the 
silk-drawing tubes are finer in these silkworms.” ‘The cocoons 
are better constructed, and afford in proportion, at equal weight, 
a greater quantity of silk. ‘The worms, likewise, come to matu- 
rity four days earlier than the common sort. Six hundred cocoons 
weigh 13lbs. In the south of France, according to M. Boitard, 
this race is known as the Milanese worm, being common in Lom- 
bardy. 
With regard to the second variety we are told that it is culti- 
vated chiefly “dans le Frioul.” The difference in the weight of 
the eggs between this and the common sort, or fourth variety, is 
given as one-fiftieth only, that is to say, 39,168 eggs of the latter 
go to the ounce against 37,440 of the former, which are thus the 
heavier. One hundred and fifty cocoons weigh a pound and 
a half, while 360 of the common sort make the same weight. 
This variety requires five or six days longer to bring it to 
maturity. 
The third variety is said to have been imported from China by 
the inhabitants of the “arrondissement d’Alais,’ and is common 
both in France and Italy; it differs from the others in constantly 
producing white cocoons, the silk of which is said to be finer than 
that of the common sort. 
The fourth variety, which appears to have been selected as the 
standard of comparison, is the commonest of all and is cultivated 
Z2 
