11 



return. The worms are wild, and are fed upon the forest trees at no expense 

 to the cultivator, who consequently does not experience the same temptation 

 to turn rogue and starve the worm, as is the custom among the Bengal 

 cultivators of the monthly Bombyces. 



The group of silk spinners of which I now propose to speak differs widely 

 in form, in hahits, food, and silk from the Bombyces proper ; they are all 

 wild species, and what is a great advantage, are all indigenous to this 

 country and widely diffused wherever there are hills. The type of the 

 group is the well-known Tussar Moth (Antheroea paphia) which occurs not 

 only at the places already mentioned, but likewise along the coast line from 

 Bombay through Pondicherry, and eastward to Bengal, and thence through 

 Cachar, Assam, Darjiling onwards through the Dehra Doon, and even to the 

 Punjab. The insect therefore has already indicated to us the various 

 localities in which it may be expected to thrive ; there is no need of 

 experimental trials, for nature has declared that wherever her species are 

 indigenously placed, that is the locality in which they are certain to thrive 

 best, so that knowing this, all that the sericulturist has to do, after the 

 selection of the district in which he proposes to reside, is careful attention 

 in the selection of cocoons, and the finest manipulation in the reeling. At 

 present this silk as an article of commerce is altogether in its infancy. 



All the species of this group (and there are several) are wild, and, as a 

 rule, when left entirely in a state of nature, appear to be only annual, or 

 single-brooded, yet such is the curious effect even of a semi-domestication 

 that no sooner do they become subject to man's control than this habit is 

 completely changed, and from two to five broods a year may be obtained. 

 The occurrence of a strong sharp-pointed horny spine at the shoulder of the 

 wing in Actias Selene and others of that genus, and its presence likewise in 

 Antheroea, sometime ago suggested the propriety of ranging these in a 

 separate family, under the name of Plectropteronidoe and genus Pleciropteron, 

 but as the suggestion appeared to meet with little favour I did not venture 

 to make the alteration. The mere fact of Actias possessing long narrow 

 tails to the lower pair of wings, while there are none in Antheroea, would 

 not, I conceive, have sufficient weight to prevent the amalgamation of the 

 two genera which, in other respects, present but few if any generic differ- 

 ences ; for the very same thing occurs in the Papilionidce or butterflies of 

 the genus Papilio, between which no difference is made on that account. As 

 we are not, however, here concerned with the tails but with the produce of 

 the insects, and their capability of being turned to good account as silk 

 producers, we may for the present let the scientific question rest. 



In all the members of this group the cocoon is firmly closed all round, 

 and the fibres, especially in Antheroea, are strongly and compactly glued 

 together so as to render the action of the wing- spur necessary for the 

 separation of the threads. The head of the cocoon therefore being first 

 moistened as in Bombyx by a liquid secretion from the mouth of the insect, 

 the wing spines are then alternately brought into play in making a cross cut, 

 or it may be perhaps in separating the threads without cutting, a sharp 

 grating sound being plainly heard the while, until the moth effects its exit. 

 The silk, when reeled, although from the great size of the insects, coarser 

 in the fibre than that of Bombyx, is nevertheless a valuable product, and 

 with good reeling would soon command a very profitable price. 



In Actias the cocoons are by no means so full of silk as those of Anthercea, 

 but what there is has been well spoken of as " strong, tenacious, elastic, and 

 brilliant." At Mussooree the worm of Actias Selene is found in a wild 

 state upon the Andromeda ovalifolia, Coriaria Nipalensis, Xanthoxylon hostile, 

 Bradleia ovata, Carpinus bimana, Cerasus puddum (the wild cherry), Pyrus 

 Jtythul (wild pear), the walnut and others, so that there should be no difficulty 

 in rearing it on the cherry, pear, and walnut either in France or England, 

 and as it will yield three or four crops in the year an abundant supply of 

 silk might be obtained, the worm being as easily reared in the house as on 



