]12 ON SERICICULTURE. 



tiling like those of Yama-31a'i, but with a thinner shell and 

 more oblong. Both the irnaffo and larvae resemble much 

 the Yama-Ma'if but with sufficient differences to make them 

 distinct species. My larvEe fed on the Turkish oak, but 

 only lived to mid-age : black at first, they were afterwards 

 of a light-green colour, spotted with red and yellow, having 

 a curious peculiarity, the long hairs on the tubercles being 

 knobbed like the antennae of a butterfly. The species of 

 oak on which it feeds in China appear to be known as 

 Quetxus MongoUcay Q. obovata and Q. serrata. Judging 

 from the climate of Newchwang, I should consider that 

 this insect might be reared further north even than the 

 Yama-Ma'ij viz., in the North of Scotland, Sweden, Den- 

 mark, Canada, &c. But though I am in hopes this 

 year to be able to repeat the experiment of acclimatizing this 

 race, as Lord Stanley has kindly given instruction to 

 H. B. M. Consul at Newchwang to forward cocoons of this 

 species to England, I am very doubtful of obtaining success 

 in the southern and warmer districts of England. 



I should be glad to receive any names of correspondents 

 who, living in our northern countries, would like to make 

 the experiment of naturalizing this race. 



There i-emain now only the three American species, — B. 

 Cecropiay Promethea and Polyphemus. Of these the 

 latter alone is an oak feeder; the two former are figured and 

 described in Jardine's Naturalist Library, vol. vii., pp. 

 132 — 8. They are polyphagous; but Cecropia thrives well 

 upon apple, sallow, plum, currant, hazel, &c. ; Promethea 

 upon sassafras, wild cherry, spice-wood, bay, &c. The best 

 silk is that produced by Polyphemus. It has been for a 

 brief period successfully cultivated by M. Trouvelot, of 

 Massachusetts — vide Journal Soc. Arts, April 14, 1865, 

 Zoologist, p. 9620, 1865 — though I understand that latterly 



