64 Fly-rods and Fly-tackle. 



out affecting the quality of the silk. "The silk in the 

 reservoirs is sometimes used in commerce, being sold 

 under the name of gut. The process of obtaining the 

 gut is very simple ; it consists in preparing worms ready 

 to spin by putting them in strong vinegar for eighteen 

 hours ; a transverse opening is then carefully made on 

 the under-side and about the middle of the body, taking 

 care not to injure the silk reservoirs, which are very dis- 

 tinct. The glands or reservoirs are then taken out and 

 stretched parallel to each other on a board, and dried 

 in the shade for several days." It will yield gut twenty- 

 five inches long. 



The Saturnia cynthia, or, as it is sometimes called, 

 the Samia cynthia, though a native of Japan, has be- 

 come acclimated, and is sometimes found wild in this 

 country on the ailanthus-tree. This is its favorite food, 

 hence it is sometimes called the ailanthus silk-worm. An 

 excellent paper on its natural history and cultivation, by 

 W. V. Andrews, may be found on page 311, vol. ii., of 

 the American Naturalist. A colored illustration of both 

 worm and moth maybe found on page 149, vol.xxxii., of 

 the Naturalises Library, heretofore alluded to. From 

 its silk is made a " seemingly loose texture, but of in- 

 credible durability, the life of one person being seldom 

 sufficient to wear out a garment made of it." 



We all know how prolific and how rapid is the growth 

 of the ailanthus, springing from a stub to considerable 

 height in a single season, and this on the poorest soils. 

 This worm is not a wanderer, but remains on the tree 

 on which it is placed as long as its food lasts. It is ex- 

 tremely hardy. Two broods a year may be raised. I 

 am not informed as to the length of gut which may be 

 drawn from it, but its greatly superior size indicates that 



