THE MOTHS. 461 



Several very laiidable attempts have been made, but 

 hitherto without any confiderable degree of fuccefs, to 

 rear the filk worm in Britain. The public have lately 

 been informed by a manufacturer in Paijley, of his hav- 

 ing prepared a web entirely of the filk. produced by 

 worms of his own rearing *: And in the tranfadlions of 

 the fociety for the encouragement of arts, manufa6tures, 

 and commerce, a number of very ufeful experiments are 

 recorded with regcird to the food and management of 

 thefe infecls f . 



Probably the want of a fufficient number of mulberry 

 trees has hitherto rendered inefFechual the efforts of our 

 countrym.en to introduce and rear any confiderable quan- 

 tity of filk worms. From the attempts that have already 

 been made, it appears that the white mulberry is prefer- 

 able to the black in feeding, and that the latter is to be 

 preferred to the lettuce- Twelve cocoons, the produce 

 of worms fed upon the white mulberry, weighed feven 

 penny weights two grains ; while an equal number of 

 thofe that had been fed upon the black mulberry weigh- 

 ed only fix penny weight three grains: Six penny 

 weights were obtained from the fame number of worms 

 fed upon common lettuce J. 



Endeavours to produce rav/ filk in Britain feems the 

 more worthy of encouragement, as that country appears 

 to polTefs fome advantages of which Italy and many of 

 the filk countries are deprived. In Italy^ the chryfalids 

 foon come to life ; and it is there neccfl'ary to defiroy 

 them, left, by eating their way out, they ihould ii.jure the 

 filk. In order to efFecl this, they are collefced and 



placed 



* Vide Glafgow Newfpacers, November 1791. 



t The Rev. M. Swayne's Letters to Mr. More, Vol. VII. 



} Tranfaft. ubi fypra. 



