SILK WORMS. 107 



The moths which come out the first day, are called 

 miao-ngo (viz : grass moths. The latest of all, are called 

 mo-ngo, (that is to say: the last butterflies.) Neither of 

 them ought to be kept. Only those which come out after 

 the second day must be taken. The sheets of the paper 

 must be spread upon the cases of a shelf, then the males 

 and females come close together and copulate. When the 

 evening comes, the male butterflies must be taken away, 

 and the females must be placed on sheets of paper, leaving 

 an equal distance between them. The eggs which are 

 found in lumps, ought to be thrown out. When the females 

 have laid a number of eggs, they must be left on the sheets 

 where they are deposited and covered from three to five 

 days. When the sheets are hung up, the eggs ought to be 

 turned outward (read : in- ward) for fear the wind may 

 cause them to perish. 



SAME WORK. 



At the winter solstice, and the eighth day of the last 

 moon, the eggs must not be bathed in too deep a water. 



After having dipped them, they must betaken out. The 

 fifteenth day of the moon (when it is full) several sheets 

 must be taken, covered with eggs and rolled together. Tie 

 them firmly with a string of mulberry bark, (or of cotton,) 

 and suspend them before the porch or vestibule of the house, 

 at the height of a long pole, in order that they may be ex- 

 posed to the cold which is felt at the close of the year. 

 After new-year's day the rolls must be spread out, and 

 placed upright in an earthen vessel. At the end of ten days, 

 when the sun is above the horizon, the leaves must be 

 taken out of the vessel. Whenever the weather has been 



