242 



quietly or roving about in quest of suitable places in which to con- 

 struct their silken cells. Both the silk cocoons and the remaining 

 larvae were subjected to a close examination by the aid of a micro- 

 scope, and were compared with other silkworms and cocoons, which 

 had been bred or formed under the shelter of a house, but no per- 

 ceptible difference of species could be discovered." 



2. BoMBYX RELiGiosA (Heifer). 



Bombyx religiosa. Heifer, Journ. Asiatic Soc. Bengal, vi. p. 41. 

 pi. 6 (1837) ; Walker, List Lep. Het. Brit. Mus, pt. vi. p. 1506. 



The Deo-mooga Silkworm, Hugon, J. A. S. Beng. vi. pp. 32-41. 



The Joree Silkworm, Heifer. 



Hab. Assam {Capt, Jenkins) ; Cachar {Hugori). 



Remark. — Upon examination of typical specimens of B. huttoni, 

 and comparing them with the description of Dr. Heifer's B. religiosa, 

 I am rather inclined to believe them to be one species. 



"The Deo-Mooga," says Mr. Thomas Hugon*, "I accidentally 

 became acquainted with, and it is very little known to the natives, 

 and entirely in the wild state. Three years ago, being employed in 

 Jumna-Mukh (Cachar), I had occasion to take some bearings, for 

 which puopose I had a white cloth put up on a large Bur-tree {Ficus 

 indica) ; the year after, being near the same spot, the ryots came 

 and told me that two months after I left (April) they observed that 

 the tree had lost all its foliage ; they went to it and found in the sur- 

 rounding grass and dry leaves a large number of small cocoons ; 

 these they spun like the Ei-ia out of curiosity, and used it with the 

 latter. They took no further notice of succeeding breeds, finding 

 the thing of little present use. I lost a few cocoons which I pro- 

 cured at the time, but have lately seen both the worm and the co- 

 coon. The former is quite different from any other ; it is more active, 

 its length is under 2J inches, the body very slender in proportion to 

 its length, the colour reddish and glazed. I could not observe them 

 more particularly, as they were brought to me one evening at dusk : 

 I put them in a box with the intention of examining them the next 

 morning, but they disappeared in the night, although the box was 

 open very little to admit the air. The moth is very much like 

 that of the mulberry ; so is the cocoon also in appearance, colour, 

 and size. I have questioned many natives about this worm, but none 

 had ever seen it before." 



Capt. F. Jenkins discovered this species in Assam, which " is (says 

 Dr. Heifer) very interesting, as it yields a silk, if not superior, yet 

 certainly equal, to that of B. mori. The cocoon shows the finest 

 filament, and has very much silky lustre. It is exceedingly smooth 

 to the touch, and very different from the cocoon of the mulberry 

 moth. The worm lives upon the Pipul-tree {Ficus religiosa). Its 

 general introduction would be very easy, as the Pipul-tree grows 

 abundantly over all India." 



* J. A. S. Beng. vi. p. 32 (1837). 



