nach vorn) gerichteteo, weniger stark verdickten 

 Schulterfortsätzen, breiterem Hinterleib und dunklerer 

 Farbe der Oberseite. Ein schmaler Seitensaum des 

 ProDotums, zwei querovale Flecken der Cicatrices 

 und die Adern der Halbdecken honiggelb. Färbung 

 der Unterseite ähnlich der bei K. hiilhiani, doch 

 die Randflecken des Bauches kleiner, kreisrund, 

 kaum grösser als die Fiecke auf den Stigmen. 

 Länge 23, Schulterbr. 17-/:i mm. Surinam. 



Edessa gnu n. spec. 9 . Von der Grösse und un- 

 gefähren Gestalt der E. sc.vdcus Fab. und K. rln-tu 

 Walk., durch die au der Spitze leicht kugelförmig 

 verdickten und nach hinten gebogenen Ecken der 

 Schulterfortsätze einen Übergang machend zu der 

 Verwandtschaft der E.sitfiindn Dali. Oben schmutzig 

 olivengelblich, die knollenförmige Schulterverdickuug 

 schwarz. Corium pschbraun, basalwärts heller. Die 

 gelben Flecke des schwarzen Connexivs nehmen nur 

 das mittlere Drittel der Segmentlänge ein. Unterseite, 

 Beine, Fühler rostgelblieh, der Bauchrand heller, 

 mit schwarzen Randflecken. Länge 2274, Schulter- 

 breite 15 mm. Amazonas. 



Edessa stillativentris u. spec. 9 . Ähnlich der 

 E. romtir(^iitris m. Doch die Schulterfortsätze 

 kürzer, die äusserste Spitze leicht pechbraun ange- 

 laufen, die Äste des Sternalkiels nach vorn nur sehr 

 wenig divergent. Oben trübe hellgrünlich, die Punk- 

 tierung ist auf dem Kopf pechschwarz, sonst farblos; 

 die Unterseite ist wie bei E. rnndimitris gefärbt. 

 Länge 20 V2, Schulterbr. UV', mm. Venezuela. 

 Sibaria andicola n. spec. Von der ähnlichen S. 

 nniHiia Stal, durch die dunklere, (fast schwarze) 

 Färbung der Oberseite, den fehlenden weis-;en Punkt- 

 Üeck des Coriums, die geringe Ausdehnung der 

 schwarzen Farbe am 5. Fühlerglied (höchstens '/s) 

 und die abweichende Form des Endrandes der cT- 

 Genitalplatte unterschieden. Letztere in der Mitte 

 mit etwa halbkreisförmigem Ausschnitt: die Seiten- 

 lappen mit gerade gestutztem Endrand (ohne Zahn- 

 ecken.) Länge 9V2, Schulterbr. 772 mm. Ecuador. 



Silkworms of Assam. 



The siiui tree {Mnchihts ■H/onifissm/aj furnishes 

 its favourite food, but in Lower Assam it is exten- 

 sively bred on the sudln (Trlraiithcra nmiiopriahi} . The 

 leaves of certain other forest trees — the illiihlat! 

 fTrt. ,/hnira), i\\Q piilirlldudit (Clun. nhlnsif„llHni), 

 and the bammti fSi/iupluros unn^'li/loni) - can be 

 eaten by the worm in its maturer stages if the 



supply of its staple food begins to fall; but the 

 stni/ and the siailn are the only trees upon which 

 the worm yielding the ordinary ii"ii/a silk (as dis- 

 tinguished from rlidu^m and im-\(n/l:/iri) cau be 

 permanently reared. The .s7////-fed worm is considered 

 to yield the most delicate silk, and s,mhi trees on 

 the edges of snw plantations are generally left un- 

 touched, though small plantations of snah, only may 

 occasionally be met with. 



Five successive broods of the M'i<i(i worm are 

 obtained, but it is only in a few parts of the Assam 

 Valley that this regulär succession of broods is 

 maintained. The worm is said to degenerate if bred 

 all the year round in Upper Assam, an the rearing 

 is discontinued in the summer, another reason for 

 doing so being that the s/n// forests are at that 

 tirae flooded by the raius, therefore the breeders of 

 Upper Assam generally go down to Kämrüp or 

 Nowgong to buy breeding cocoons at the beginning 

 of the cold season. The period from hatchiug to 

 maturity varies from twenty-six days in summer to 

 forty days in winter. The Muf/a cocoon is in size 

 about V/i inch long by 1 inch in diameter. In 

 colour it is a golden yellow, but there are usually 

 a number of dark cocoons in every brood. The silk 

 of the cocoon is reeled, but no part of it is rejected 

 as useless; the floss plucked off before reeling, the 

 silk of the Shell, and that of the open cocoons, are 

 spun by band into a coarser thread, which is mixed 

 with Eri thread, or is woven by itself into warm and 

 durable fabrics. 



There are two varieties of the Mni/a assumed 

 by it when the worm is fed on the rlHimpd (or more 

 properly diftixi) and the iiir:nnl,nri, or mlahnri 

 (mmnihmi imhidiitha) . Cl/ini/po silk seems to be 

 quite forgotten now. It is described as a very fine 

 white silk, which used to be worn only by the 

 Ahorn Kings and their nobles. Mr-.aiihnrI silk is 

 still to be procured, but with great difficulty. In the 

 last years, there does not seem to have been a single 

 piece obtainable in Jorhat. One of the reasons alle- 

 ged for this falling off is that the new rules rest- 

 ricting clearances of the forests are unfavourable to 

 the growth of the inr:<nik>irl tree. This tree Springs 

 up spontaneously in abandoned clearances, and it is 

 in this early shrublike stage that it is fit for the 

 Worms to feed on. In its second year, the worms 

 fed on it give coarser silk; in the third year, the 

 silk ishardly distinguishable from the common inmjn. 

 Thus the mature tree is quit out of the question, 



