THE SILK-WORM. 91 



However, there are few of these animals suf- 

 fered to come to a state of maturity ; for as their 

 bursting through the cone destroys the silk, the 

 manufacturers take care to kill the aurelia, by 

 exposing it to the sun, before the moth comes to 

 perfection. This done, they take off the floss, 

 and throw the cones into warm water, stirring 

 them till the first thread offers them a clue for 

 winding all off. They generally take eight of 

 the silken threads together, but the cones are 

 still kept under water, till a proper quantity of 

 the silk is wound off: however, they do not take 

 all ; for the latter parts grow weak, and are of a 

 bad colour. As to the paper-like substance which 

 remains, some stain it with a variety of colours, 

 to make artificial flowers, others let it lie in the 

 water, till the glutinous matter which cements it 

 is all dissolved ; it is then carded like wool, spun 

 with a wheel, and converted into silk stuffs of an 

 inferior kind. 



PART IV. 



OF INSECTS OF THE FOURTH ORDER. 



CHAPTER I. 



OF THE FOURTH ORDER OF INSECTS IN GENERAL. 



IN the foregoing part we treated of caterpillars 

 changing into butterflies j in the present will be 



