HOW I KILLED THE TIGER. gi 



cocoons, which are strong, firm, almost equally 

 round at both ends, not very large, but free from 

 spots. 2. Calcined cocoons, in which the worm 

 has died after having completed its work, and is 

 reduced to a powdery substance. 3. Cocoons, 

 which are larger and less compact than good 

 cocoons. 4. Cocoons in which the worm has died 

 before finishing its work. 5. Double cocoons, 

 difficult to unwind, and often kept for seed. 6. 

 Cocoons of so loose and soft a texture that they can 

 not be unwound. 7. Pointed cocoons, in which 

 one end rises in a point which breaks off after 

 a little silk has been unwound and so spoils the 

 thread. 8. Perforated cocoons from which the 

 moth has escaped. 9. Bad cocoons, in which 

 the worm has died before finishing its work and 

 in which the silk is spotted, rotten and blackish 

 in colour. 



The vitality of the chrysalis is destroyed pre- 

 viously to unwinding the cocoons, either by exposure 

 to the sun, or by placing them in hot ovens. The 

 rloss silk is removed from the cocoon by opening 

 it at one end and slipping out the cocoon. In 

 reeling the silk it is necessary to use cocoons of one 

 quality, as different qualities require different treat- 

 ment. The natural gum of the cocoons is softened 

 by immersion in warm water, kept at the proper 

 temperature by a charcoal fire. After they have 



