THE STATE ENTOMOLOGIST. 1 ]" 



keeping the cocoons in u state of slight moisture, by means of steam from- 

 water beneath, more or less boiling in the basin. These emptj^ cocoons artv 

 reeled, as we have already stated, when nearly dry, but yet they require a 

 certain amount of moisture, which is indispensable for the perfect torsion 

 of the several threads (hrms), which go to form the one strand (Jil). ■ The 

 needles have, 1st, an olive-shaped head, which is capped by the empty cocoon, 

 suitably prepared beforehand and divested of its outer envelope ; 2ndiy, a 

 middle portion sliding through a ring, secured by an upright (7?//rfe, jMrfi .s?./r 

 les broches) attached to the skewer; and 3rdly, a base, with a blunt point,, 

 which revolves in a little cup worked in the thickness of the skewer. 



The needles are very moveable on their pivot, and the cocoons being move- 

 able also on the olive-shaped heads, turn on them in every direction,' follow- 

 ing the position and the direction of the threads as thev unwind. The hea<l 

 is olive-shaped to avoid making a hole in the base of the cocoon during thv 

 movement and rotation by the resulting friction, which must ensue were 

 the head pointed. The needles are of ditferent lengths to allow more 

 cocoons than one to be reeled off at once, those of the first skewer being the 

 smallest, those of the second bigger, and so on according to the number of 

 the strands and the required thickness of the thread. The skewers, armed 

 with needles of different height, after being capped with empty cocoons 

 suitably prepared, are placed on the basin s© that two or more may be used 

 at once. So arranged, the skewers slide into a groove made into the frame 

 of the machine. They are kej.t apart by a little bar of division fixed at 

 either extremity. When the cocoons are reeled the skewers, whose needles 

 are now free, are pushed forwards and removed, they are immediately re- 

 placed by othei's prepared beforehand, and placed ready at the end of the 

 groove. There is no interruption in reeling; the mechanism of the skewers 

 and needles is both simple and eas3^ These, as also the plate with jnoveable 

 cups, are easily and without cost adapted to the well-known machine, which 

 seems a great advantage since the old implement for reeling closed cocons- 

 IS now made available, almost without change, by the simple method which 

 I have described." 



ITS NATURAL HISTORY. 



The female depo.its, on an average, two hundred and fifty eo-o-s fFio- 

 4J, o). ihese are about 0.07 inch long, oval in form, and of a cream color. 

 They are spotted in places with dark green or black particles which can be 

 rubbed off and which under the microscope are found to consist principally 

 of gum, mixed with minute hairs. They become depressed four days after 

 being deposited and acquire a greener hue just before hatching. The shell 

 is very hard and tough and the clicking noise mentioned in speaking of 

 the eggs of marl (p. 86) may often be heard. The moth fastens them by means 

 of a gum with tolerable firmness to whatever object she may be upon. 

 They are however easily detached, and if subsequently placed on moist 

 cloth or paper will again adhere. They hatch at a temperature of 65° Fahr. 



Larval tHAN'OES-The young worm is yellow, with a dorsal, subdorsal, aurl stigmatal row of 

 black spots-ea(*i row with two to ajoiiit-Uieanteriorone in the stigm.ital row being the sm illest 

 and the posterior one the largest. Between each ofth'-^e rows , in the middle of each joint, is a black 

 tuberele, crowned with white bristles, and there is an additional row (6 in all) which is substig- 

 matal. The head is polished black, and there is a black patch on Joint 1, on the caudal plate, and on 

 the outside of the anal prolegs. The thoracic legs are black, and the prolegs yellow with a black 

 mark outwardly near extremity. After the first moult the head is brown and the tips only of the 

 tubercles remain black, the rest of the stem being light yellow. After the 2nd moult the col-)r is- 

 paler, being of a cream-yellow: the head is entirely yellow, except the feelers which are brown, and 

 an the tubercles, except the stigmatal row, are cream-colored, with bristles ending in a knol) of the 

 same color: the stigmatal row is black, with cream-colored bristles :. legs of a bright yellow • stigma- 



