O F S I L K. 205 



rules already given in this treatife, among 

 which that of fteeping the eggs in warm 

 wine, or even warm water, and leparating 

 the fmall and weak ones which iwim, feems 

 of great ufe, and no difadvantage, becaufe 

 if you want a fufficiency of eggs, you may 

 rear and feed thofe which fwim, but you 

 fliould not breed from them. 



Yet fuppofing even what is faid of re- 

 newing eggs by thofe brought from diffe- 

 rent countries to be necefiary ; in cafe I was 

 obliged to have eggs from a climate which 

 was warmer, it fliould not be to raife an 

 entire new flock from them, but only to 

 crofs the llrain, between fome of the beffc 

 of them, and the flrongefl of my own 

 which were already naturalized ; becaufe 

 it often requires fome time to make the 

 conflitution either of plants or animals 

 adapt itielf to the change of climate. 



But another kind of degeneracy, as I 

 imagine, may proceed from the w^orms 

 being fed, and kept in a manner which 

 differs a great deal from their natural way 

 of living ; for as yoii cannot reap any ad- 

 vantage from them but by keeping them 

 in houfes, becaufe of the injuries they 

 would be liable to both from birds and the 



weather. 



