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APPENDIX I. 



The Indian Silkworm, from the Annual Report of the 

 Government Central Museum, Bombay, for the year 

 1859-60.— By Dr. Birdwood, C.S.L 



In paragraph 18 of last year's report I mentioned the 

 steps taken up to that date for the cultivation of the in- 

 digenous silkworm of the Deccan. As therein stated, my 

 attention was first drawn to this subject by Mr. Hey cock, 

 at the meeting held in the Town Hall on the 15th December 

 1858, for the purpose of founding the Victoria Museum 

 and gardens. Mr. Hey cock said that, during an excursion 

 to Bassein made by him in the preceding month, he entered 

 the house of a friend who until lately had resided in Bengal, 

 and who had collected a number of silkworms in his garden 

 gathered off the " Wild Plum " of the surrounding jungle. 

 His friend told Mr. Heycock that the Tusseh silk of Bengal 

 was produced by these worms, but that in this Presidency 

 no one knew what they were, and they were left to be 

 devoured, and their cocoons were wasted. From a cocoon 

 obligingly given to me by Mr. Heycock I found that I was 

 very familiar with it in the parts of the Deccan in which 

 I had been stationed, although ignorant of its value. I 

 had often seen the worm feeding on the leaves of the Blair 

 tree (Zizyplius Jujuba) during the cold season about 

 Sholapoor, and had noticed that its cocoons appeared about 

 October and November, and that the moth burst from 

 them about July, when it immediately laid its eggs, which 

 were hatched in one or two weeks. In bringing these 

 facte to the notice of Government, in a letter, No. 193, of 

 December 3 1st, 1858, I suggested that should it be deemed 

 desirable to introduce the rearing of silkworms into this 

 Presidency, on*e or two hundred Tusseh cocoons should be 

 procured from Bengal, and distributed throughout this 

 Presidency, with the view of determining whether identical 

 species of cocoons were to be found in the Presidency, and 

 in what collectorate ; and that should it appear from this 

 investigation that the production of silk can be undertaken 

 in any of the collectorates of this Presidency, a few ryots 

 from Bengal, acquainted with the mode of rearing the 



