[ 175 3 40 



found in such abundance in Bengal, and the adjoining provinces, as 

 to have afforded the natives, from time immemorial, an ample supply 

 of a most durable coarse silk, which is woven into a kind of cloth, 

 called Tusseh doot'hies, and much worn. The caterpillar, when 

 full grown, is about four inches in length, and bulky in proportion; 

 its color is green, with a lateral stripe of yellow, edged with red; 

 when ready to spin, they envelope themselves in two or three leaves 

 oS the Jujube tree,* the vegetable upon which they feed. These leases 

 form an exterior envelope, which serves as a basin to spin the cocoon 

 in, which is then suspended, by a thick silk cord, from the branch af 

 the tree. It remains nine months in the pupa or chrysalis state^ and 

 three months in that of the egg and caterpillar. The insect, when 

 produced, expands to the breadth of five or six inches, and those of 

 the female to eight inches. They immediately escape. The worms 

 feed on the trees, and are watched day and night, to guard them against 

 birds. The natives of India pretend that these worms cannot be 

 domesticated. The durability of the silk woven from it, is astonish- 

 ing! The arrindy silkworm is the Bomhyx Cynthia of the natu- 

 ralists. It is peculiar to the interior of Bengal, and is reared in a 

 domestic state, as the common silkworms. The food of the caterpil- 

 lar consists entirely of the leaves of the common castor-oil plant. J It 

 is about three inches long when full fed ; the color pale green. The 

 cocoon is white or yellowish, of a very soft and delicate texture, about 

 tv.'O inches long, and three in circumference. The insect remains in 

 the pupa state but twenty days. The filaments of the cocoon are so 

 delicate, that it is impracticable to wind off the silk; it is therefore 

 spun like cotton, and woven into a coarse kind of white cloth, appa- 

 rently of a loose texture, but of incredible durability ; the life of one 

 person being seldom sufficient to wear out a garment made of it. The 

 coverings of palanquins are made of this silk. Mr. Glass, British 

 Army Surgeon, sent some of it to his friends in England, and, upon 

 being shown to some silk manufacturers, they gave it as their opinion, 

 that it could be made into shawls, equal to any received from India. 

 Another species is called Jarroo, the cocoons of which are spun in the 

 coldest month, viz: .January; the silk is of a darker color. The 

 males, when hatched, invariably fly away, but the females remain on 

 the asseen trees, upon which the worms are placed to feed. These are 

 not impregnated by the males bred along with them, which fly away; 

 but, in ten or twelve hours, another flight of males arrives, and impreg- 

 nate the females, which deposite their eggs on the branches. The 

 natives are able to retain part of the Jarroo cocoons for seed, which 



* Rhamr.us Jujuba, L. gi' T?yer of the Hindoos. They also feed on the leaves of 



the assien tree; the Ttrminalia alata Glabra of Roxburgh. 



+ From a Ciiinese psper, on tlie culture of the Tusseh silk, which Mr. Huzard 

 lent Mr. Lutrcille, he is convinced that tlie insects producing' it were tlie wild silk-? 

 v.orms of Chinii; and he conjectures that a part of the silk stuffs wliich the ancients 

 procured by their maritime commerce witli India, was made from the silk produced 

 by these insects. lit gne animal, par Cuvier. TomeGJ, p. 564, Paris, IBl'T'. 



t Ricinus Pahr.a Christi. 



