PET ANIMALS. 



363 



at all favourable. In order to clean out the trays, the silkworms 

 should be moved with the greatest tenderness ; to effect which, when 

 the insects have arrived at about one-third of their full growth, it is 

 necessary to put new leaves into the trays, upon the tops of the half- 

 devoured ones ; the insects will soon crawl on to the fresh leaves, 

 when they may be safely lifted out, and placed in their clean quarters 

 in other trays. When they are full grown, they may be taken up in 

 the fingers, caution being observed not to squeeze them, or let them 

 drop. The leaves must if possible be fresh, but if there is no tree 

 handy, and you have to keep a stock of leaves, let them be kept 

 closely packed together, in a clean cloth. 



When the insects are ready to 

 commence their spinning occupa- 

 tions, they turn to a clear pink, or 

 rather flesh-coloured hue, (particu- 

 larly at their tails,) become exceed- 

 ingly restless, and abstain from food. 

 On this last symptom taking place, 

 you must remove such of the worms 

 as evince it into little paper bags 

 made in the shape of funnels, wide 

 and circular at the mouth, and ter- 

 minating in a pointed end. The depth of these little bags should be 

 about four inches, and they are usually pinned to a tape, horizontally 

 secured on the wall of a room. Here the little artists prepare a 

 retreat, by disposing their silken threads in such a manner as to 

 enclose themselves completely in an oval shaped ball of silk, of about 

 the size of a pigeon's egg. This is is called the " cocoon." Within 

 it the chrysalis once more casts its skin, turns thick, short, and of a, 

 dark brown, hard, glossy surface ; becoming 

 through this second change an aurelia. 

 When the cocoon is about the size before 

 mentioned, but not sooner, you may shake 

 it gently, to ascertain whether the spinning 

 withinside is complete ; and if a slight rattling sound can be heard, 

 as though there were something loose in the cocoon, the insect's task 

 is done. 



The cocoon contains three va- 

 rieties of silk, the one loose and 

 unserviceable, the second closer 

 and running crossways, the third ! 

 very fine and gummed together, 

 and this forms the inner coating. 

 Care must be taken in winding off 

 this silk ; the loose outer portion must be removed, then the cocoon 

 placed in a basin of lukewarm water, that the end of the silk may be 

 more easily detected, and the winding off facilitated, which maybe done 

 upon a common card; the length of the thread of a single cocoon varies 

 from six hundred to one thousand feet. The aurelia, when taken out 

 of the cocoon, should be placed in some bran, just under the sur- 



