9 



it may, when once left to nature will gradually revert, and all the boasted 

 improvements become obliterated, and why ? simply because the standard 

 is wholly an artificial and not a natural one. Mr. Bashford however ap- 

 peared to be surprised to see his worms revert, and that nature, abhorring 

 all crosses, exercised a greater influence over the worms than he did. I will 

 quote a portion of his concluding remarks, placing those parts which sup- 

 port my argument, in italics. " On my return from Europe I found a good 

 supply of healthy looking eggs of the different sorts, and have continued the 

 experiments this year (185(i) with unabated perseverance; they began 

 hatching early in January, but just as irregularly as before, a small quantity 

 only came out daily, and did not cease till May. The early worms were all 

 good, fed and thrived as well as I could desire, and cocoons from them were 

 very fine.* I hnd an opportunity of again comparing the pure French cocoons 

 reared by me, with the different crosses, and the choice was greatly in favour 

 of the pure ; but the cross cocoons were vastly superior to those of Bengal, 

 and what I reeled off in the filature gave a most beautiful silk, and a yield in 

 quantity more than twice as large as the common cocoons of this country, 

 which we were then reeling in the filatures. Thus much of the intrinsic 

 value of the French cocoons remained, but none of their original shape. I 

 supposed now that I had so much reduced the original nature of the frequent 

 crosses, as to be nearly certain of their now assimilating in habits, &c., &c., 

 with our country worms, and I did not reduce them by further crossing, but 

 allowed the moths to couple with themselves. 



Great was my astonishment to find after the eggs had been deposited three 

 days that most of them turned black, indicating that they still had too much 

 French nature ; a few remained yellow and hatched after ten days ; how to 

 account for this freak of nature with regard to the rest, I cannot understand, 

 but I had still to be more surprised after this. I have to wait of course 

 until next year to see the result of the black eggs, but those that hatched 

 gave me ample occupation for the time, and I watched and cared for them 

 with the gi*eatest interest ; the young worms looked healthy, ate, and throve 

 well, and in due time gave cocoons ; the white colour alone proved the 

 China portion, and the superior size of cocoon and fibre, and lighter colour 

 of some, with less floss than with our common sorts, shewed the French 

 and Italian cross. I was on the whole satisfied with this crop, and trusted 

 my labours had met with success, but great was my astonishment, after 

 the pairing, to see more than half of these egcts again revert to annuals, 

 though there had been a complete break in their nature by their having 

 hatched in January, given cocoons in February, eaten out in due time, paired 

 in themselves, deposited eggs that ten days after hatched, and now to fall 

 back not to hatch again until the ensuing January of 1857, I fancy is 

 extraordinary in the extreme. I have many pounds of eggs of the different 

 crosses still retaining the nature of annuals, but as I have spent three years 

 in trying ineffectually to engraft a superior nature, and invigorate our 

 common stock without changing their nature of hatching, I feel discouraged, 

 and would gladly have the opinion of naturalists as to the probability of 

 my object ever being attainable, and the proper steps to be taken for reah'zing 

 it."t 



It was in consequence of this pathetic appeal to naturalists that I wrote 

 to Mr. Bashford a letter which he published in your Journal, and which 

 ended in obtaining me the honor of a snub because my opinions were not in 

 accordance with his wishes. Yet subsequently he acknowledged the utter 

 failure of his endeavours, and that the worms had all reverted to annuals. 



* This cress was effected with French, Italian, and China females of Eoro-pooloo, upon 

 Madrassee and dasee stock. 



t A few remarks "On Experiments with Silkworms," by F. Bashford, Esq. Journal 

 A. and H. Society of India, Vols. IX and X. 



