118 THE TUSSEH SILKWORM MOTH. 



border, but convex ; the eye in the centre of each 

 is also the same ; all are clothed with much soft 

 hair, which becomes longer and longer towards the 

 shoulder or points of insertion. 



' ( The following interesting history of these mosl 

 beautiful as well as most useful animals, I have had 

 the good fortune to procure, by means of Mr William 

 Pope of Mahometpore, and with the writer (Mi 

 Atkinson's) permission,, I transcribe in this place : 



( I have an opportunity of consulting two o 

 the hill people, in whose neighbourhood a good deal! 

 of Tusseh silk is produced, and whom I have ques- 

 tioned on points imperfectly known to myself. To 

 reply to the Doctor's questions regularly : 



' 1st. The cocoons of the insect, which feeds 

 on the Byer leaf, are called by the natives Bughy, 

 producing a Tusseh silk. They are annual, and are 

 said to remain in the cocoon nine months, and to 

 be three months in the egg and worm state. 



' 2d. This species cannot be domesticated. \ 

 am informed that the natives cannot even retail 

 any of it for seed. The hill people say that they 

 go into jungles, and under the Byer and Asseert 

 trees they find the excrement of the insect; ori 

 which they examine the tree, and, on discovering 

 the small worms, they cut off branches of the trej 

 sufficient for their purpose, with the young brood 

 on the branches ; these they carry to convenieni 

 situations near their houses, and distribute the 



