32 



perish in the early stages of their existence, the formation of ihe cocoons retarded, and 

 every iusect beginning to spin whilst still very small. In this we must admire one of 

 the laws of Providence, to which every animal, and especially such prolific insects, 

 must conform, namely, that there are seasons in which, owing to the atmospheric 

 changes, and for want of sufficient nourishment, the insects die in great quantities. 

 Were it not so, the world would not be large enough to contain them. T also warned 

 Sir Wm. Reid that perhaps our rooms are loo light for these insects, the light being 

 injurious to their eggs, as it is to the germination of plants. In its natural state, the 

 Bonibyx Cynthia lives under the shade of green foliage, a very scanty light pene- 

 trating into the miserable huts of our ryots (peasants of Bengal). It is also believed 

 that too much light is injurious to the production of silk. I give you a bint of these 

 ideas, without comraeutiiig on them, being persuaded that you will exert yourself in 

 every way for the successful rearing of these valuable insects. Lastly, let us bear in 

 mind that these poor little animals are the first of their kind which have crossed the 

 ocean, and been installed in the splendid palaces of the Knights of Malta, and that if 

 you have an idea of presenting them at Court je ne reponds pas des suites.' 



" Our spirited Mr. Piddington finishes by begging us to send his kind compliments 

 to Signer F. Berzonzi, at Boulogne-sur-Mer, to whom we owe the first idea of the 

 attempt to enrich Italy, if possible, with the new silkworm of the Indies. 



" The problem, then, for the naturalist seems solved. This insect can be trans- 

 ported to, and successfully reared in, latitudes differing so widely from those of Turin 

 and Assam in Bengal. The common Eicinns {Palma-Christi), especial food of the 

 Cynthia, takes well in Piedmont ; and already the production of the seeds more than 

 pays the cost of cultivation. In the Province of Nice, in the Island of Sardinia, and 

 in the more southern countries of Italy, the Ricinus grows luxuriantly. The silk- 

 growers will now try how far it will answer to couple the rearing of the silkworm of 

 India with that of China. The first yields in its native land seven crops of cocoons 

 in the year, and supplies us with a finer and more beautiful silk. Naturalists and 

 silk-growers will soon have the opportunity of trying a mixture of the two breeds ; 

 meanwhile, the experiments now made give every man to expect that the most 

 sanguine hopes of those interested in the cultivation of silk will ultimately be realised. 

 Let us close these few lines addressed to our numerous correspondents with the obser- 

 vation recently made by the celebrated naturalist, GeofTroy de St. Hilaire, President of 

 the Paris Society of Zoological Acclimatation : — ' The number of the species of 

 animals generally reckoned by the modern naturalists exceeds 140,000, the greatest 

 part of which will be perhaps always useless to man ; whilst up to the present time 

 we have not been able to domesticate more than 43 species.' How much, then, 

 remains to be done, and why, for instance, should we not follow the example of the 

 Canary Islands, which have already more than doubled the value of their rural 

 products by the easy cultivation of cochineal, and attempt to introduce at once this 

 valuable insect into the Province of Nice, or, at least, into the Island of Sardinia, 

 where the Cactry spantia [? Cactus Opuntia] thrives in abundance. 



"G. F. Baruft. 



" Turin, April 29lh, 1854." 



Mr. VVestwood said that Professor Solly had made several experiments on the co- 

 coons sent by Dr. Tcmplcton from Malta, and he believed he had discovered the much- 

 desired method of imwinding the silk from the cocoon. 



