142 THE SILK WORM. 



racier. They took advantage of their privilege, and 

 though to carry off any of the silk-worm's eggs they 

 knew was death, if detected, one of them concealed 

 some of the eggs in the hollow head of his cane. 

 Though searched, he escaped with them, and carried 

 them safely to Constantinople, The king was pleas- 

 ed at the recital of the process of rearing the worm : 

 but, unfortunately, the travellers had forgotten to as- 

 certain upon what kind of leaves they were fed ; 

 whereupon the king offered him a large reward to go 

 back to China and discover what tree the leaves were 

 taken from, on which the worms were fed. They 

 went, and returned with intelligence that it was the 

 Mulberry. 



Thus was the silk worm, and the silk culture, in- 

 troduced into eastern Europe; and from that thimble 

 full of eggs have sprung the millions, and billions, and 

 trillions of worms, which since have toiled to adorn 

 the angel form of beauty. When we look at the la- 

 bors of a single worm, how insignificant it appears; 

 yet how magnificent is the product of congregated 

 millions ! Who, that did not know, would suppose 

 for a moment, that all the silk in those fabrics which 

 grace the limbs of female loveliness, and which are 

 used for a thousand other purposes, sprung from the 

 labors of a tiny worm ? 



The limits of this work will not admit of my go- 

 ing into detail, and giving a history of the march of 

 the silk culture over Europe. Suffice it to say, that 



