172 ENTOMOLOGY. 



bees have time enough only to provide a sufficiency for 

 their own wants during the remainder of the year. We 

 ought not to be surprised at the misrepresentations of 

 foreigners respecting our climate, while we have so many 

 traducers at home; nor feel irritated at the insinuations 

 which would imply the degeneracy of all created things 

 in a traveller, while those who should repel are so ready 

 to give such errors circulation. That much may be done 

 has already been proved in many of our States. And if 

 at any particular spots it is desirable to establish hives, 

 previous to the growth of such seed as may be sown, they 

 might be moved as in Egypt and France, to points where 

 food may be found in great abundance, and afterwards 

 restored to the appointed place. But even if this should 

 be impracticable, and if the quantity of honey produced 

 by the bees were but little besides what would be neces- 

 sary for them, if they should be allowed to feed continu- 

 ally and to the extent of their appetites, much might be 

 gained by placing the hives, after all the honey was col- 

 lected, in situations where the temperature should be so 

 low as to render the bees inactive, and consequently re- 

 quiring but little to nourish them, until the returning 

 spring. 



* The product of another insect, the caterpillar of a 

 motk, whether it be looked upon as an article of 

 commerce, or an object of domestic employment, is well 

 worthy the attention of our country. The raising of 

 silk- worms engaged the attention of an emperor of China, 

 so long ago as twentyseven hundred years before the 

 Christian era ; and an empress first attended to the man- 

 ufacture of silk. This occupation for a long time was 

 confined to ladies of the most elevated standing ; but gra- 

 dually became an employment for females generally. 

 After the quantity of silk manufactured was sufficient to 

 clothe all classes in China, it was used as an article of 

 exportation, and was carried from the northern parts of 

 the Chinese dominions to every part of Asia. In 555, 

 two monks brought from China in their hollow staves, 



* The following remarks upon the silk worm have been previously 

 inserted in a number of the Ladies' Magazine. 



