LEPIDOPTEEA. 231 



placed, at the distance of 50 centimetres from each other, frames 

 made of reeds. These frames or canisses, as they are called in the 

 Cevennes, may be from 1 metre to If metre in breadth. They 

 should be placed in such a manner that one can easily pass 

 round them to place and displace the worms, and to distribute their 

 leaves to them uniformly. They should be protected by a small 

 border of a few centimetres in height, to prevent the worms from 

 falling. And lastly, they should be covered at the bottom 

 with large sheets of paper. A provident silkworm- rearer has 

 always at his disposal a cellar or cool room, so as to be able 

 to stow away his leaves as soon as they are brought in from 

 the country. 



What we have just said applies especially to a small rearing. 

 In large establishments, or even those of second-rate importance, 

 everything is in advance of this, and mathematically regulated : 

 aspect and arrangement of rooms, furniture of these rooms, 

 warming, ventilation, &c. So, for a rearing house for 300 grammes 

 of eggs, the building should be constructed in such a manner that 

 its front and back look east and west, to avoid any inequality in 

 the heat derived from the sun. It ought to consist of a ground- 

 floor, a very lofty first-floor, and of a very low roof. The 

 ground- floor comprises the chamber of incubation, the store-room 

 for leaves, and the air chamber with the grate intended for warmth 

 and ventilation. The first-floor constitutes the rearing room 

 properly so called. 



But let us leave these grand industrial establishments, to 

 return to our rearing houses on a small scale, such as are found 

 among the peasants of the Cevennes. They generally receive the 

 silkworms' eggs before the end of the winter. In order to 

 preserve them till the hatching season, they are placed in thin 

 layers, in a piece of folded woollen stuff, which must be hung 

 up in a cool, but not a damp place, exposed to the north. As 

 soon as the buds of the mulberry tree begin to be partially open, 

 they proceed to the incubation of the eggs. They are spread 

 out on sheets of paper, in very thin layers, placed on a table in 

 a room having a southern aspect, and left thus during three or 

 four days, taking care to prevent the rays of the sun from touch- 

 ing them. It is necessary also, from time to time, to open the 



