CHAPTER V 

 INSECTS IN COMMERCE 



THE silkworm has been called by an old 

 French writer on entomology " The dog of 

 insects/' and although this description can hardly 

 be considered a very appropriate one, the silk- 

 worm has certainly been a domesticated insect 

 for a very great number of years. It is 

 impossible to say how long ago it was that the 

 silkworm was first artificially reared, and its fine 

 thread turned to account in the manufacture of 

 silken textures ; but it is a certainty that the silk 

 industry existed at a very remote period. The 

 Chinese are generally supposed to have been 

 the first to breed silkworms and practise the 

 art of silk-reeling, though some writers claim 

 that the Tussur silk of India was the first silk 

 fibre produced. The word " sericulture," how- 

 ever, tends to prove that the industry originated 

 in China, as " Series " was an ancient name for 

 the northern part of China, afterwards known as 

 Cathay; and the name "Series" was derived 

 from " sze," " see," or " si," the Chinese word for 

 silkworm. The French " soie" is derived from 

 the Latin " serecum" which has been traced 

 directly back to the Mongol " sirkeh." 



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