DOMESTICATED ANIMALS 35 



The silk-moth has long been domesticated. It is 

 a native of the highlands of China. And the Chi- 

 nese domesticated it first. It is domesticated foi 

 the silk spun by the larva (caterpillar) when it 

 passes into the pupa stage of development. The 

 silk is the couch or cradle for the insect during its 

 pupal sleep. 



The silk is a liquid in the glands of the cater- 

 pillar, and hardens on exposure to the air, like the 

 silk of the spider. The glands open by a common 

 duct near the mouth of the larva. 



China, Japan, and France are the great silk- 

 producing countries of the earth. As many as ten 

 million human beings are engaged in the sill^ in- 

 dustry. 



The domesticated silk-moth has been in captiv- 

 ity so long that it has become flightless, like the do- 

 mesticated birds. The larva, or caterpillar, of the 

 silk-moth feeds on the leaves of the mulberry. 



The cochineal insect is a little red bug inhabit- 

 ing Mexico. It lives naturally on the cactus. The 

 dye (cochineal) is made from the brilliant bodies 

 of these insects. The bodies are dried and ground 

 up. Cochineal was used by the Indians as a dye 

 before the coming of the Spaniards. It was long 

 supposed by Europeans to be a seed. The bug has 

 been transplanted to Spain and the Canaries, and 

 a large part of the world's supply of cochineal 

 now comes from these lands. 

 15. Summary and Conclusion. 



Sponges and oysters are now **farmed'' in many 



