25 



the trunks of the trees. They remain on the trees about twenty- 

 six or twenty-seven days more if the weather is not favourable, 

 and then leave off eating and descend, and are gathered in the 

 evening, and taken to the cultivator's house, where they are 

 placed in parcels of clean dry leaves, mango or plantain, and 

 commence their cocoons, which they finish in about five or six 

 days ; and the same series of changes then commences anew. 



From the time the young worm is placed on the sooni tree till 

 it commences spinning, the greatest care and attention are 

 required to preserve it from its numerous enemies. Birds of 

 all kinds, crows especially, devour it by day ; and bats, owls, and 

 rats are equally destructive by night. Men are always, day and 

 night, on the alert with bows and arrows, pellet bows, and slings, 

 and with the aid of these and constant shouting manage to 

 prevent the birds, &c., from doing much harm, but the worms 

 are still destroyed in numbers by wasps, ichneumon flies, and 

 other insects. Hot, dry weather, is the most favourable to the 

 mooga worm, but excessive heat is often fatal to those which are 

 moulting. Rain, unless it fall in very heavy showers, does not 

 injure them as they find shelter under the leaves. If the rain, 

 however, be very heavy it washes them off; and in this way 

 sometimes a large proportion is destroyed. 



The mooga is generally spoken of as yielding five crops of silk 

 in the year, which are designated as follows from the season or 

 month in which they are yielded : 



The Jarooah crop (cold weather) January, February. 

 Jettooah (Jeyt) May, June. 

 Aharooah (Ahar) June, July. 

 Bhodia (Bhadro) August', September. 

 Kotia (Kartik) October, November. 



Of these the first two and the last are considered superior 

 to the others. Sometimes a larger number of crops is obtained 

 if the weather is more than ordinarily favourable. 



The duration of the existence of the worm under ordinary 

 circumstances may be taken to be 



From the laying to the hatching of the egg ... 10 days 

 From that time till the fourth moulting ... 20 

 From the fourth moulting to the commencement 



of the cocoon ... ... ... ... ... 10 



In the chrysalis state ... ... ... ... 20 



As a moth ... ... ... ... ... 6 



Total 66 



In the hot weather it is sometimes as short as six weeks ; in 

 the coldest as long as twelve weeks. 



