13-4 FOURTH ANNUAL REPORT OF 



oanuot well endure :i heat beyond 80° F., and will doubtless thrive best in 

 the more northern States, for it will bear a moderate amount of cold, even 

 below freezing point, for brief periods, with impunity. It is invariably 

 single-brooded, and runs a longer course of life than any of the other 

 species treated of. The hatching of the eggs must be retarded till the first 

 oak leaves (the buds of the Post oak are among the earliest to swell, but 

 some species of the black oak group, especially the Laurel-leaved oak, leaf 

 out first) put forth, and moisture, which is prejudicial to the Mulberry silk- 

 worm, is grateful to this one at all times. I have already said that the 

 embryo larva is fully formed soon after the egg is deposited. Now all our 

 eggs, so far, have been obtained indirectly from Japan via Europe, and in 

 the transit they must necessarily be subjected to too much dampness and 

 confinement, too great changes from heat to cold, and the reverse ; and the- 

 vitality of the young worm thus impaired. Mr. Andrews * believes that 

 to this fact must be attributed much of our failure in this country'', and I 

 fully concur with. him. In this country Avhich, compared with Europe, is so 

 rich in oaks, and in the large silk-producing insects so closely allied to 

 yama-mai, and which is so varied in climate, we certainly ought to meet 

 with better success than our European friends; and until we procure eggs- 

 more directly, or obtain them from insects reared in this country, so as- 

 to preserve them in uniform and favorable conditions, it cannot be said 

 that we have taken the proper steps towards acclimatizing it. Let us hope 

 that friend Glover Avill induce Minister Capron to send direct from Japan 

 a good Bupply of eggs, next winter, to experiment with ! 



Before concluding my notice of this insect I will transfer from the third 

 Report of Mr. F. O. Adams, already alluded to, the following excellent 

 account of rearing it in Japan, which will be found valuable and interest- 

 ing in this connection : 



The eggs of the Yama-mai are deposited bj' the female on the bars of 

 cages made of plaited bamboo strips, of the bell-like form delineated in the 

 sketch (Fig. 5i>). This is probably towards the end of Jul}-, and the cages 

 are hung up one under the other, in rows of ten, under the eaves of the- 

 roof where ventilation can be secured without exposui-e to sun, rain, or 

 smoke. 



In the 10th month (Xovember-December) it is generally the custom to 

 take the eggs off the cages with the fingers, and place them in hempen Iraj^s 

 of oblong form, with wooden rims about three inches high. Care must be 

 observed that the eggs are not crowded one upon another. The trays are 

 placed upon the verandah. A cold atmosphere is essential at this stage. 

 Sometimes the eggs are not detached from the cages, and the latter are 

 placed in a shed outside the houses, where good ventilation can be secured. 

 The walls of the shed are formed of a coarse matting composed of reeds, and. 

 the roofs should be constructed of such material that no rain can penetrate 

 inside and injure the eggs. About the end of the 2nd Japanese month 

 (say the beginning of April) the eggs are collected in small hempen bags^. 

 which are placed in boxes pierced with holes, in order to admit of proper 

 ventilation. These boxes are either suspended out-of-doors amongst the 

 trees where no sun can reach them, or kept in a cold cellar, where they are 

 put into deep holes dug in the ground. This operation is only necessary 

 when the hatching has to be retarded, because the buds of the Kunogi hav& 



Scientific American, March 18th, 1871. 



