144 SATURNIA CYNTHIA. 



yarn thus manufactured is wove into a coarse kind 

 of white cloth, of a seemingly loose texture, but of 

 incredible durability, the life of one person being 

 seldom sufficient to wear out a garment made of it ; 

 so that the same piece descends from mother to 

 daughter. 



Dr. Roxburgh's correspondents furnished him with 

 much additional information regarding this insect as 

 a silk-producer. Mr. Atkinson states that he reared 

 two parcels of them with a view towards winding 

 off the cocoons, but all his endeavonrs to obtain 

 cocoons that would reel off were in vain. He even 

 brought a man from the country where this species 

 of silk -worm is cultivated, and he laughed at Mr. 

 Atkinson's endeavours to get cocoons to reel; as- 

 serting that it was impossible, and that they were 

 always spun off into thread like cotton by the 

 women only. 



On the same subject Mr. Creighton writes as 

 follows : — " The Palma Christi silk-worm goes by 

 the same name as the plant does among the natives, 

 which is Arrindy. They accordingly call it Ar- 

 rindy-worm, Arrindy -thread, Arrindy-cloth, &c. 

 They rear it in their houses much in the same way 

 the silk-worm is reared. Their manner of spinning 

 it is as follows: — Four or five of the cocoons are 

 fastened to a stick stuck in the ground, or some- 

 times they hold it in their hand. These are united 

 into one thread, and made fast to a piece of wood, 

 with something heavy to make it spin round while 

 suspended by the thread : when they let out suffi- 



