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tion and the laying of eggs; the method of gathering and hatching out the eggs; and — 
specimens of the silken thread which the larva before spinning the cocoon wove from 
the foundation of the cocoon along the leaf-stalk to the bough, so that though the leaf- 
stalk in winter became detached from the bough the cocoon would still remain 
suspended instead of falling to the ground. Specimens of the silk obtained both by 
carding and winding were also shown, and several hundreds of the cocoon and imago 
were distributed amongst the Members present. Dr. Wallace believed he was the 
first person in England who had attempted to rear the Bombyx Cynthia on an 
extended scale out of doors without any protection; Lady Dorothy Nevill was the first 
in this country to rear the species successfully, but this was done under the protection 
of nets; he was under great obligation to Lady Dorothy for having in the first 
instance supplied him with eggs, aud with specimens of the Ailanthus; he had, in 
March, 1864, planted out by the side of a railway (vide ante, p. 30) 3000 Ailanthus 
trees, which were then two years old; some died owing to the prolonged drought in 
spring, and during that year their growth was scanty; but in 1865 their growth had 
been very rapid, shoots six feet long and an inch in diameter having been put forth 
by many: the soil was a close loam. He had made another small plantation in his 
garden for the purpose of observation and to serve as a nursery; on this he had placed 
18,678 eggs, which were laid between the Ist and 22nd of July; they were laid in the 
interstices or perforations of the zine cages, rubbed off upon blotting-paper, and a 
glass placed over them; the paper could be moistened if necessary ; in twelve or four- 
teen days, according to the greater or less heat, the eggs hatched, prior to which, how- 
ever, batches of them were pinned in paper cots or bags on the trees in the 
nursery: once established on tbe trees, the larve grew continuously, and when 
about half-grown they were transferred to the trees in the larger plantation, and 
distributed over them; from these he had, in September last, harvested 5318 cocoons, 
very few of which were ichneumonized. No larve were observed to be eaten by birds, 
though sparrows were abundant, and were seen to pick off the Aphides from cabbages 
growing under the Ailanthus trees; he had lost about 200 by disease; but the greatest 
destruction was in the nursery during the first two changes, when spiders, lady-birds, 
earwigs and Carabi thinned their numbers to some extent; in 1864 wasps were ob- 
served to carry off the young larve, and likewise ants; there appeared also to be a 
parasitic fly (Tachina), and tom-tits were destructive to the larve. The growth of the 
tree was most surprising, and after the leaves had been entirely consumed by the silk- 
worms, another growth of foliage was emitted sufficient to nourish a second brood of 
worms. Of his first brood, 563 moths hatched between the 22nd of May and the 27th 
of July; of these 230 fertile pairs were obtained ; their eggs were laid from the 24th 
of May to the 26th of July, and were 37,000 in number; the first larva from these 
hatched on the 11th of June, spun up on the 15th of July, and emerged on the 20th 
of August. Of another batch of larve, the eggs of which were laid on the 6th and 7th 
of June, the first hatched out on the 23rd of June, spun up on the 20th of July, and 
emerged asa moth on the 23rd of August,—an interval of thirty-four days,—which 
was spoken of in France as a shurt period for the egg to develope into a cocoon, 
whereas in this instance the change took place in twenty-eight days. Of his second 
brood, 101 moths hatched between the 2Ist of August and the 21st of September; 
thirty-six fertile pairs were obtained; their eggs were laid from the 23rd of 
August to the 7th of September, and were 3438 in number; the first larva 
from these hatched on the 7th of September, the last on the 19th of September, 
