THE SILK WORM. 149 



on by placing the worms in a room too warm, and 

 where the heat is too sudden. It generally attacks 

 the worms in the fifth age, near or about the time 

 they ascend to spin. When attacked by this disease, 

 the body swells and changes to a yellow color, from 

 which circumstance the disease takes its name. The 

 feet of the worm appear drawn up, and the rings be- 

 come enlarged. The worm refuses to eat, goes wan- 

 dering about, and stains every thing yellow it touch- 

 es. After this the body becomes soft and soon 

 bursts, throwing out a fluid which is death to those 

 worms upon which it may fall. It is certainly by far 

 the most fatal disease that the poor worm has to con- 

 tend against. The diseased worms should be imme- 

 diately attended to, and conveyed away to another 

 apartment. Change of air and increase of heat are 

 said to relieve some worms, but no remedy is to be 

 depended upon; for there is no disease which proves 

 so deadly as this. The great object is to prevent the 

 spreading of the disease. Judge Comstock mentions 

 a case, where worms were cured of this disease by 

 accidentally eating oak leaves. 



The Muscardine is known among the worms in the 

 fifth age. It is occasioned by a very hot, dry and 

 close state of the air, and is known by the black spots 

 on different parts of the worm, which turn different 

 colors afterwards, until the whole body becomes co- 

 lored. A curious mould covers the body finally, and 



it dies. Ventilation and purification are the remedies. 

 13* 



