HOME-GROWN SILKWORM-GUT 219 



worms out of doors to feed, selecting the most suit- 

 bale food-plant for them, as I have thought that the 

 gut produced by this treatment was of superior qual- 

 ity. Whether that idea is fancy or fact may be de- 

 batable; but this I do know, that it is much easier 

 for the one who has the job of looking after it to 

 bring the worm to its fodder than to bring its fodder 

 to the worm. They may grow somewhat larger in 

 this way, as there is never any lack of food; and 

 especially at this stage they eat so fast that they need 

 feeding two or three times a day, instead of only 

 once as during the previous moults. Now, and espe- 

 cially when I had large numbers, I have sometimes 

 used small branches with their leaves placed in Ma- 

 son jars containing water; although I found a ten- 

 dency on the part of the caterpillars to crawl down 

 after a drink and so drown themselves. My usual 

 method of feeding has been to put the loose leaves 

 (cut or torn on the edges when the caterpiller is 

 small) right into the cage, and to change food at 

 least once a day. Some labor can be saved by using 

 this plan of putting the twigs with leaves into bottles 

 or jars containing water; but to prevent the untimely 

 loss of some of your " star boarders," wind wool 

 or tie cotton around the twig just above where it 

 enters the neck of the bottle or jar, so that all sui- 

 cidal actions may be frustrated. Once I matured a 

 brood of cecropias by means of the " branch-and- 

 bottle " method, on the top of a square piano; the 



