150 SATURNIA MYLITTA. 



producing a Tusseh silk. They are annual, and are 

 said to remain in the cocoon nine months, and to he 

 three months in the egg and worm state. 



" 2d, That the species cannot be domesticated ; 

 the natives apparently not being able to retain any 

 of it for seed. The hill people say that they go 

 into jungles, and under the Byer and Asseen trees 

 they find the excrement of the insect; on which 

 they examine the tree, and, on discovering the small 

 worms, they cut off branches of the tree sufficient 

 for their purpose, with the young brood on the 

 branches ; these they carry to convenient situations 

 near their houses, and distribute the branches on 

 the Asseen tree in proportion to the size thereof, 

 but they put none upon the Byer tree. The 

 Parieahs, or hill people, guard the insects night 

 and day while in the worm state, to preserve them 

 from crows and other birds by day, and from bats 

 by night. 



" I have myself seen them," continues the writer, 

 " thus watching the brood. This species cannot be 

 confined, for so soon as the moth pierces the cocoon 

 it gets away ; and the people add, that it is impos- 

 sible to keep it, by any precaution whatever. 



" To wind off these cocoons, they put them into a 

 ley made of plantain ashes and water, for about two 

 hours, after which they take them out of the ley, 

 and put them in their wet state into an earthen pot ; 

 those which are properly softened are first applied to 

 the reel, and so on, as the cocoons become soft, for 

 four or five days, till the whole are wound off. 



