56 



THE MICROSCOPE AND ITS LESSONS. 



Secreting organs of the 



caterpillar. 



AA, Bilk eecretors; A', their 

 excretory ducts; s, the spin- 

 neret ; c, throat ; D, stomach. 



and oxen; of tigers, bears, and 

 lion?, that the Creator is to be 

 admired. He is not less great in 

 the production of the smallest 

 animals, such as ants, flies, gnats, 

 and other insects which we know 

 better by sight than by name. 

 The same power and the same 

 wisdom are remarkable in all." 



This admirably contrived spin- 

 ning-machine here shown will 

 apply to that of- the common silk- 

 worm moth caterpillar, and will 

 enable us to draw your attention 

 to the extreme fineness of the 

 material which is converted from 

 the mulberry leaf into satin. 



A communication to the Society 

 of Arts by Miss Henrietta Ehodes, 

 not very long since, and sent to 

 me by a scientific friend, stated 

 that one line of the silkworm when 

 unwound measured 404 yards, and, 

 when dry, weighed three grains. 

 Hence it follows that one pound 

 avoirdupois of the thread as spun 

 by the worm may be extended 

 into a line 535 miles long, and 

 that a thread which would encom- 

 pass the earth would weigh no 

 more than forty-seven pounds. 



Curiously spiny is the cater- 

 pillar of the peacock butterfly, the 

 perfect insect having remarkably 



