166 WILD SILK. 



ers with cotton. I believe that the Insect may 

 be met with there in its wild state. The silk 

 is obtained with very little trouble. The 

 people who make it their business to propo- 

 gate the insect,, prepare a number of large 

 trees in the jungle [called by the Natives As- 

 sen] by burning grass and wood under them 

 to drive away all other insects; they then 

 smear part of the stalks of the trees with a 

 sticky substance consisting of petroleum or 

 dammah and oil, which prevents ants from 

 ascending them,, or they would soon destroy 

 all the caterpillars. The caterpillars are then 

 placed on the trees, and when they have 

 eaten all the leaves,, they are removed to 

 others, and so kept, until they begin to spin 

 the silk, when they are carried to their hou- 

 ses, and in proper time they are sold to Bi- 

 paries; keeping a sufficient quantity to 

 breed from. 



In travelling through the country, great 

 numbers of those trees may be seen with their 

 foliage thus destroyed. Quere ? If those in* 



