SILK 



rather the northern part of it, known later as 

 Cathay ; and the name is derived from the Chinese 

 name of tin- silkworm sxe, tee, or ti, in Corean tir, 

 whence the Creek oiip. 'the silkworm;' oiiptt, 'the 

 people furnishing silk;' and cnjpucov, 'silk.' The 

 Latin srrimm has been traced direct to the Mongol 

 sirkth ; and the serikoth of Isaiah, xix. 9, has been 

 supposed to be silk. From stricum is derive<l the 

 French toie ; and etymologically connected with it 

 are the German seide, the Kussian ihrolk, the 

 Anglo-Saxon seolc, the Icelandic silke, ami the 

 English silk. We are informed by Hawae-nan-tze, 

 in a Chinese work called the liUkiconn Clastic, 

 that Se-ling-she, the principal queen of Hwang- 

 te (2840 B.C.), was the first to rear silkworms, 

 and the Emperor Hwang- te was induced to invent 

 robes and garments from this circumstance. The 

 Chinese historians carry back the cultivation of 

 the mulberry and the breeding of silkworms to 

 the mythic period. If they are to be believed, 

 the art of silk-reeling was Known in China in the 

 time of Fouh-hi, a century before the date usually 

 assigned to the biblical deluge, and Hwang-tea 

 queen did not disdain to share in the labours 

 attending the care of the insect, as well as in 

 those of the loom, the invention of which seems 

 to be attributed to her, and to have raised her 

 to the position of a tutelary genius with special 

 altars of her own. But whatever the precise date 

 of the discovery, it appears there can be no 

 question of the very higli antiquity of the know- 

 ledge of the worm and its product in China. A 

 series of imperial edicts and voluminous litera- 

 ture of practical treatises testify to the importance 

 of the industry and the care that was taken to 

 foster an art which was considered, according to 

 M. de Rosny, ' best fitted to promote the morality 

 of the people and extinguish pauperism in the 

 empire.' The queen and wives of the nobles 

 through successive generations personally attended 

 to the rearing of the silkworms. That this silk 

 was of the mulberry-fed kind is evident from a 

 further extract from the Silkworm Classic, which 

 gays that afterwards ' When Yu regulated the 

 waters (2200 B.C.) mention is made, in nis work on 

 the tribute, of the land adapted for the mulberry- 

 tree having been supplied with silkworms, from 

 which time the advantage thereof gradually in- 

 creased.' It is not known whether silk was 

 utilised in India at so early a period as this 

 probably not ; but that India learned the art from 

 China is generally believed, although at what 

 period is not known. 



About the middle of the 6th century A.D. the 

 western world received a supply of silk worms' eggs. 

 They were conveyed from China to Constantin- 

 ople by two Persian monks who had gone to the 

 East as missionaries, and had observed in China the 

 various processes connected with the rearing of 

 silkworms, the nature of the trees on which they 

 fed, and the preparation of the silk. This occurred 

 in the year 552, in the reign of Justinian, who gave 

 every encouragement to the introduction of the 

 valuable insert. The eggs were secretly conveyed 

 from China witliin a hollow cane ; at the proper 

 eauon they were hatched, and the caterpillars were 

 fed on the leaves of the wild nmllierry-tree. The 

 monks continued to superintend at Constantinople 

 the rearing of the insect* and the whole process of 

 manufacturing the silk. From this small com- 

 mencement the myriads of silkworms have sprung 

 which throughout eastern and western Asia have 

 met tli'' cleinanil for silka demand that has gone 

 on increasing from that time to the present. 



\iitnnil 'UK! Life ffittory.The natural history 

 of t-\i-r\ kind of silk may be briefly stated. 

 From a small egg laid by the moth, of whatever 

 species, appears in due season a small larva, 



or caterpillar, or worm, as it ia usually called. 

 This worm, after having lived its day, feeding only 

 on the leaves of certain plants specially suited to its 

 own species, and increasing in size, spins, or rather 

 secretes, a fine silk thread around itself for a cover- 

 ing and protection during the time it lies dormant 

 in tin- next stage of its existence. As soon iiait 

 has secreted all the silk, it changes into a pupa or 

 chrysalis, and remains inside its silken cell until 

 the time for its apjiearance as an imago or perfect 

 moth, having four scaly wings, with si\ lee>, and 

 two antenna-, which are larger in the m:ile than 

 in the female. When its hybernation is ended it 

 emits a fluid which softens the end of its cocoon 

 cell, and, bv means of its wing-spines and legs, 

 parts the fibres aside until the opening is large 

 enough for it to creep out. After a short time ito 

 wings expand and dry, and it enters into a per- 

 fect state. It lives only a few days in this phase 

 of existence. It is in this stage only that the 

 race is perpetuated, the female laying a number 

 of eggs ana dying soon afterwards (see the article* 

 INSECTS, CATERPILLAR, CHRYSALIS, COCOON). 



There are a number of species of silkworms 

 whose food is the leaves of the niullierry-tree, the 

 principal and most useful of which is the liombyx 

 mart. The following is a list of mulberry-feeders, 

 the various kinds of Bomhyx alone being domes- 

 ticated, the others being wild : 



Bombyx mori (Linnteus). The common silkworm, do- 

 mesticated in China, Bokhara, Afghanistan, Cashmere, 

 Persia, South Russia, Turkey, Egypt and Algeria, 

 Italy, France, and Spain, in all which countries it pro- 

 duce* but one crop annually, spinning the largest cocoon 

 and the best silk of a golden yellow or white. 



B. ttxtor (Button). The Boro Poloo of Bengal, 

 domesticated in South China and Bengal ; an annual 

 only, producing a white (sometimes yellow) cocoon of 

 a different texture and more flossy than B. mori. 



B. linentit (Button). The Sina, Cheena, or small 

 Chinese monthly worm of Bengal, introduced from 

 China, and partially domesticated in Bengal ; produce* 

 several broods in the year ; cocoon white and yellow. 



B. tneri (Button). -The Nistri or Madranee of Bengal, 

 introduced from China, and domesticated in Bengal; 

 yielding seven or eight brood* of golden yellow cocoons 

 in the year of larger size than B. tintntis. 



B. fortunatut (Hutton). The Deri or Chota Poloo of 

 Bengal; yields several broods annually, spinning the 

 smallest cocoon of a golden yellow colour. 



B. araeantnti* (Button). The Burmese silkworm, 

 domesticated in Arakan, said to hare been introduced 

 from China ; yields several broods annually ; cocoons 

 larger than the Bengal monthly species. 



Thtophila huttoni (Westwood). The wild silkworm 

 of the north-west Himalayas, feeding on the indigenous 

 mulberry in the mountain forests. 



T. thermlli (Moore). The wild silkworm of the south- 

 east Himalayas. 



T. benffalentit (Button). The wild silkworm of Lower 

 Bengal, discovered in the neighbourhood of Calcutta, 

 feeding on Artoearput lacoocha. Found also at 

 Ranchee, in Chota Nagpore. 



T. relif/iota (Heifer). The Joree of Assam and Deo- 

 inooga of Cachar. Feeds also on the her tree (Ficut 

 bengaletuii) and the peepul (/'. rcligiota). 



T. mandarina (Moore). The wild silkworm of Chckiang. 

 North China; Mid to feed on wild mulberry-tree*, 

 spinning a white cocoon. 



Ocinara fattea (Button). Mussooree, north-west Himv 

 layas ; also feeds on Ficvt venom, spinning a small 

 yellow cocoon, yielding several broods during the 

 summer. 



O. moorei (Button). Mussooroc ; also feeds on F. 

 venom, as well as on the wild fig, spinning a small 

 white cocoon. It is a multivoltine (see below). 



O. diaphana (Moore. ) Khasi Hills. 



Tfiloeha variant (Walker). North and South India. 

 In Italy and France B. mori is cultivated under 



active goVernment encouragement and oversight, 



having during centuries of effort become a sub- 

 ject of high national importance. The United 



