178 THE CULTURE 



and fliarp at the ends than thofe which 

 hold tiie females, which are more blunt 

 and round at the ends, and fomewhat 

 more fwelled in the middle 3 the reafon of 

 which is, that the femaje, having a grof- 

 fer body as being full of eggs, adapts its 

 ball to this form. You might miftake 

 thofe which are fpun double for females; 

 but beiides, that thefe are of an extraordi- ' 

 nary fize, you may diftinguifh them by 

 their clumfy fliape, which is rather round 

 than oval, and a little obfervation will 

 make you pretty expert in this know- 

 ledge. You cannot however expecl to dif- 

 tinguifh exa6lly equal numbers of males 

 and females, there may after all be a confi- 

 derable difference, and therefore you may 

 keep as a fuperfluity, fome of the beft a- . 

 mong thofe which are fpun double, and , 

 when the moths are come out (for you 

 will then eaiily diftinguifh the males and 

 females) you may add from thefe to the 

 fide that was defective. A French writer 

 has indeed hinted that thefe double balls 

 would produce worms, which would alfo 

 fpin double balls, and that therefore they 

 are improper to breed from ; but this has 

 no foundation, fmce it is accident, 'or a 



con- 



