HISTORY AND HABITS OF THE SILK-WORM^ 



27 



a. from lollowmg up ll.e c.n.Ks.ty ^ / ^^^ '" .;^~ . „f ,ho tc-nn. B.nu.et, ev.dm.Vly Bpe^ik- 

 dent h-.B nuule n.en iujtur,d..t., ni "^^.^ 'f ^;^\^'' ^ "^^e w.s .cvctcou years of age, h.vmg 

 incr of himself, says, " I know a Tjatun list, xv o v. 'en ^^ j j ^J^ ,^„ ,^,i ^.n h^ luui 



,,lnl of the oparatioas of the aut-lum begau l^ j^"^ .^ ='^,3.^ ai.eovered new tUcts, and 

 examined into then. ; and he ventied the n c " '»" .' \ ..,, (Reaunmr). It is not the 

 .00a became the disciple and the ^^-^l /J" , .. .il: 'e^dnsively to the study of Nature, 

 happyfurtimeofmauy to be abetod.votc '' ^ ^ ^^..^ .^H^.t anyone may ac- 



,4l^sriouably Ihe m<,st iase>na..ng <;' ''^-J^^^'^'S^gr^tication hon/beholdiug the 

 .lui're snlhcient knowledge to.be a de ^^^'^^^^^^^-fj ^^,acmv\-,noii are always be- 

 maro common opeiatioiLS of annnal hte. Hi*. maten.u= 1 



nested. , ■ ^. „f ,.niemil]«-8 the descTiptioiis of vvhich are U. be found in the 



Amou!? the great varict>' ot cateiinu.ii-s, u" 1 , j ^ I^^ t „j,ly ,« 



rebels ;^f Natural History, the ^^'^-/^:;X^ ^-^Sn u t^^ 1 .y the desire of .atisty- 



our attention called to the f-^^^^^i; ^^^^^2. incite u.'hkewise to the stvidy of 



i;^:^^3'lLbit:t:?'SSy W::^^^^- p™tlu.bly apply its instinctive induso^ to 



-vz £::^-..>served by Puuein ^^^ ^^^^r i^;:^^ S^ S 



thing mno„g the vanous wonders wh.ch the ^T^"-;^^]' ^^,^^ ^^e furious texture of that 

 the ?arietv of changes wh.ch the '^■^^'^/^^^^.^'^ the perfection of its animal 

 silken covering with wd.ch U ^'7';""' ^^f J Ss of is class. All the caterpillar kind 

 life, vastly suri^asses w Ivat .s made 1 y " ^^^J^'"'";'; s^lk-worm, and the beauty of many m 

 do, indeed. p=.ss through changes hke tho e of the ^^ v^^ ^^^. ^^ ^^^^^^ ^^^.^ ^^^^. 



their butterHy state greatly exceeds it but me co ei 1 ^^^^ ^jj,.,^^,^,^^ ,^ 



tatiou is p..or and mean, when ''"'"P^^'^^M^/^^^^.S^J ,^.'^ the" wings bedropped ^vith gold and 

 itself. They, "-^e-\' -'"f V "' yT^lme^ltl^X^h ihe^ life nil beauty quickly 

 scarlet, yet are ihey but the bemgs of ^^ ""l"*^^,^;'. ''£ ^i,^ silk-wonn leaves behind it such 

 vanish, and they leave no reniend^ranceftei them , but t^it ^^^ ^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^ 



beautiful, such beneficial monuments, a.-, at once to lecoia o 



null His boiuitv to man." . , ,1,, ,.:,,„ tlip summer by a 2na>nsh kind 



* 8ilk-wonns pro.eed from eggs which are '^Xuf eau T^ ^e to a "Sn ^f nmstard seed : 

 of moth, of the genus pahena. These cg,|s are J^^^ll^ ;^^Xr.^hey acquire a bluish 

 their color when first laid is ye low ; but " "^^^^^^^ these e^gs may be presei-xed 



cast. In temperate c .mates, and by "^^/'g 1 »f ^ |h? period of theh-^anima'tion may be ac- 

 Sif^ri^^,h:^^'Sr^mS^s;t^to a^L'with the.me when the na^al Ibod 



of the insect shall appear in -"lf„,f ^X'^a'cS^^^^^^^ ^^^ ^^' °f ^ f""' 



All the cunous changes and laboi 9 which ^^f""?^^^^ '^^ This period varies, mdeed. ac- 



wor.n are peribrmed w.tlun the ^P^^'-'.^f '^^Y^^./f f^pa^sed • all its ^-ital f.mctions behig 



cording 10 the climate or temperatu.e in winch it. J fSy„P=^^^7; ' ^,.^,.^,,1,. with this sol« 



quickened, and their J-^^^- ^.rTSat:^ ^^^ h^ 

 variance, its j^rogressions we alike 111 <iu ciimaieh, mi 



course. „, . ... 1 .. ii,;,. ;„aoct nre that of the worm or cater- 



The three „.crc»ive ,u<.; » be.ns 1". °" ^> *» J»'^\,r,; „„,„ .lecidcd mmforma- 



a..l %^f^ -^::^:;st,:i^^x^^ by>. ...~< ..... 



of hfiitisr- . ,, t^UnXr wnnn about a nuarter of an inch in length. 



When first hatched, it appears as a small ^>l^^\7"'™,f ';" ^J Itaini.ii; foo.l, in search of 

 m fi,-st iiLlication of animatiou is t^- ^^ ^^ ^.r^^^' ^ l-o'-'tion tiian character- 

 which, if not immediately ^'^PPl-'^.'j^-. ^,7;^^;^^^'*;' Si^e on the part of these insects, that of 

 izcs it anv other j.er.od. So s.nall is the ^«f '"^ «' ';;'^^i^l ^^,,,^„„, \eads th.-m to ti-avel over a 

 the generality it may be said f^ ;;-; J,""^^ ^^^^^ of their lives. Even when 



gre.ater space thim three feet th^'ugho-it tlie v> n . nourishment was last 



huugrv. Ihe wo.-m still chngs to the f^'^l*-';?? "' ™1. ^ //'" „uld be at length incited to the 

 derived. If. by the continued cravings "'/^..^P^^';:'. ^f ^'^^^ fj ^ the edge of tho 



effort necessary for changing its po-tioii tt wdl som t^^ e^ - -a- - ,^,,,„,,,,,= t« cling 

 tray wherein it is confined, and some te%% ha\ e Peen 1 1 m ^^^^ ^^^^^ 



» Contemplation de la Nature, part U. ch. 42. 

 (75) 



