SILK GROWER'S MANUAL. 229 



the moth emerges from the cocoon, in the shape of a 

 large butterfly, of a grayish white color, with four 

 wings, two eyes, and two feathery plumes or horns. 

 The male usually appears first, and is known by his 

 smaller size, and a continual flutter of his wings. The 

 female is of a larger size, of a whiter color, and seldom 

 moves. These are to be paired, and then removed by 

 their wings to sheets of paper spread on tables or 

 boards, where they are to be left in darkness, as when 

 complete, the silkworm is a night insect. 



They generally come out of the cocoons in the morn- 

 ing, between seven and nine o'clock, when you have to 

 be there, and see that they are all paired ; otherwise, 

 your eggs would not be good for anything. Those that 

 are paired, you take by the wings, being careful not to 

 hurt or separate them ; you put them on the papers, 

 and those that are not paired, you take them, males 

 and females, and put them together on a separate sheet 

 of paper, and they will soon get paired there ; and when 

 they are, you take them and put them with the others. 



Sometimes, among the paired ones, a male or more 

 gets loose ; and as soon as you see it, you must take 

 them off, because they would disturb the others, and 

 cause many of them to get loose also ; and it is import- 

 ant that they should not be disturbed. You put these 

 loose ones, male and female, back with the unpaired 

 ones, so that they may all get paired again. 



After they are all paired, you leave them in their 

 dark place, till about four or five o'clock in the after- 

 noon, when you have to separate them. For that, take 

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