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OBSERVATIONS on the native 



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or four days of one another, which was nearly the fame 

 fpace of time the parent fly was laying the egg. Whe-* 

 ther this was owing to the weaknefs or ftrength of the vital 

 principle in fome more than in others, or whether to the 

 fhifting their food, or to their being frightened, and 

 thereby prevented from feeding, I cannot tell. Farther 

 experiments may pofEbly explain the matter. 



The method I took to raife thefe worms, with the leaft 

 trouble to myfclf, as I live in town, and confequcntly had 

 to bring food for them out of the country, w^as as follows: 



I filled feveral bottles with water; in thefe bottles I placed 

 branches of fuch vegetables as the worms feed on. I 

 placed the bottles fo near each other, that when any of 

 their food withered, the worms might crawl to what was 

 frefli. By this means I kept their food frefh for near a 

 week, I always kept the bottles full of water, whereby 

 the worms were fupplied with drink, which feems neceffa- 



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em. Without it they will not feed kindly. 

 They commonly crawled down two or three times' a day, 

 drank heartily, then returned to feeding. The leaves of 

 the apple tree feemed as agreeable to the worms as any I 

 tried; and they anfwered bell, as they kept freflh in the 

 water longer than any other. 



From fundry experiments, I found the worms averfe to 



changing their food. On whatever they firft begin to 



feed, they keep to It. 



If any fhould incline to propagate thefe worms, I would 

 propofe the following method. Let long narrow troughs 

 be made, with a number of notches along the edges. In 

 the bottom of the troughs, on the outfide, let pieces of 

 ftraight wood be fixed, fo that the branches, on which the 

 worms are to feed, may lie in the notches, and their ends 

 be fixed under the piece of wood at the bottom. This 

 would keep them fteady, and lying thus Inclined, they 

 would more freely imbibe the water for the refreflament 

 of the leaves. The dung of the worms would fall clear of 

 the troughs, and the water thereby be clean for their drink. 



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