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CHAPTER XXIII. 



TROnCAL INSECTS DIRECTLY USEFUL TO MAN. 



The Silk- worm — The Tusseh and Arandi — The Cochineal Insect — The Gum- 

 lack Insect — The Locust used as Food — Other edible Insects — Insects used 

 as Ornaments — The Diamond Beetle. 



AFTER having described the miseries which the tropical 

 insects inflict upon man — how they suck his blood, destroy 

 his rest, exterminate his cattle, devour the fruits of his fields 

 and orchards, ransack his chests and wardrobes, feast on his 

 provisions, and plague and worry him wherever they can — I 

 now proceed to the more agreeable task of recounting their 

 services, and relating the benefits for which he is indebted to 

 them. 



Among the insects which are of direct use to us, the silk-worm 

 {Bomhyx tnori) is by far the most important. Originally a 

 native of tropical or sub-tropical China, where the art of making 

 use of its filaments seems to have been discovered at a very 

 early period, it is now reared in countless numbers far and 

 wide over the western world, so as to form a most important 

 feature in the industrial resources of Europe. Thousands of 

 skilful workmen are employed in spinning and weaving its 

 lustrous threads, and thousands upon thousands, enjoying the 

 fruits of their labours, now clothe themselves, at a moderate 

 price, in silken tissues which but a few centuries back were the 

 exclusive luxury of the richest and noblest of the land. 



Besides the silk-worm, we find many other moths in the tro- 

 pical zone whose cocoons might advantageously be spun, and 

 only require to be better known to become considerable articles 

 of commerce. The tusseh-worm {Bomhyx mylitta) of Hin- 

 dostan, which lives upon the leaves of the Rhamnus jujuba, 

 furnishes a dark-coloured, coarse, but durable silk; while the 

 Arandi {B. cynthia), which feeds upon the foliage of the 



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