222 THE INSECT WOELD. 



tion of the Jacquart loom gave an immense impulse to the weaving 

 of silk stuffs. Amongst those who introduced and benefited the 

 art of sericiculture, we must not forget Dandolo. Dandolo, who 

 was born at Venice in 1758, and who died in 1819, was the first 

 who, at the beginning of this century, applied himself seriously to 

 the amelioration of the processes employed in the cultivation of 

 silk. He endeavoured to regulate the temperature, to introduce 

 more order into the distribution of the food to the worms, 

 to have more spacious premises, and to have these properly ven- 

 tilated. 



Now we are on this subject, we must mention the names of 

 those who at the present day have rendered important services to 

 sericiculture, such as M. Camille Beauvais, who raised silkworm 

 rearing from the inactivity into which it had been plunged ; 

 M. Eugene Robert, who founded in the south of France the first 

 successful silkworm nursery; M. Guerin-Meneville, who has 

 devoted his life to the study of the same question, and to whom 

 Europe owes the introduction and the acclimatization of some 

 species which will render us, perhaps, one day very great services ; 

 and lastly, M. Robinet, who has elucidated several practical 

 questions in the art of sericiculture. In bringing to a close this 

 rapid historical epitome, we will state that France consumes 

 annually 30,000 kilogrammes of silkworms' eggs, each kilo- 

 gramme being at the present time worth from 300 to 500 francs, 

 and even more. The value of manufactured silks represents 

 annually about 8,000,000 francs ; and we find by official sta- 

 tistics that France exported in 1863, silk stuffs to the value of 

 384,000,000 francs. This immense trade shows how much 

 silk is now-a-days everywhere appreciated; in those numerous 

 tissues called taffeta, satin, and velvet, each of which seems to 

 have a charm a peculiar attraction. The consistency of the 

 stuff, the smoothness, the softness of surface, the manner in which 

 silk receives colours, the brightness, fineness, power of reflecting, 

 the rustling, the light or heavy folds, all these are beauty, 

 elegance, and luxury, in whatever way these words are under- 

 stood. 



The Bombyx mori has, however, nothing alluring in its appear- 

 ance. Other caterpillars of the genus Bombyx have brilliant 



