50 



" maunds, of which one third is exported either in the 

 " form of cocoons or woven into heavy cloths (Borkapor.)" 



Mr. Hugon stated, that for want of a proper solvent of 

 the gum the natives could not reel the cocoons. I am 

 disposed to believe the reason to be in the soft and irregular 

 way the worm excretes the silk. It forms its cocoon much 

 more loosely than the mulberry worm, and not being 

 cemented like the Tusser cocoon it becomes ravelled in the 

 attempt to reel it. Mr. Brownlow states that in Cachar 

 the Eria or Ricini worm is trained by the Cacharis, a 

 people living in isolated villages on the hills. They soften 

 the cocoons in a mixture of cowdung and water, and they 

 are then carried off to a spindle by the women of the tribe. 

 This silk is dyed by the natives with lac, munjeet, and 

 indigo ; but owing to its being much inferior to the silk 

 of commerce in taking dyes, only very poor colours are 

 obtained, the process for dyeing being too rude and un- 

 scientific. But there is a good use for it, and that is by the 

 same means I have pointed out for Tusser and other wild 

 silks of India ; namely, for spinning instead of reeling. 



The natives of India use Eria silk for the manufacture 

 of garments, having the following names : — 



Borkapor. 



MeMas (petticoats). 

 Rhiha (scarves). 

 Goursha. 



At page 58 will be found an account of the important 

 results I have obtained by spinning and weaving the silk 

 of this worm. 



The Eria or Attacus ricini must not be confounded 

 with the Attacus cynthia or Ailanthus worm domesticated 

 to a small extent in Europe. The cocoons of the two are 

 essentially different (see Plate XVIII., Fig. 3, and Plate XX., 

 Fig. 2). I mention this because of the lengthened efforts 

 in France and elsewhere to make the Ailanthus-fed silk 

 available to commerce. It has not yet found its way into 

 the market to any but a tentative and experimental extent. 



Attacus cynthia comes originally from China, and feeds 

 on the Ailanthus glandulosa. Its cocoons were first 

 received in Europe in November 1856, and hatched out 

 the following year, and towards the middle of May 1857 

 the first living specimen of Attacus cynthia was born in 

 Europe. These cocoons were sent by Abbe Fantoni, a 

 Piedmontese missionary, from the province of Shan Tung, 

 in the north of China, situate just south of Pekin, to some 



