THE CYNTHIA SILKWORM MOTH. 



[Samia cynthia.) 



To the Chinese must be credited the 

 discovery of silk and the originating of 

 the silk industry. Even before the year 

 2640 B. C. they had knowledge of the 

 larvae — 



"That in their green- shops weave the smooth- 

 haired silk." 



It was the mulberry-feeding moth 

 which produces the finest silk of to-day, 

 that was kno\vii to these early Chinese. 

 Tliey, and later other nations with them, 

 encouraged its cultivation, until now the 

 insect has become thoroughly domesti- 

 cated and lost rhany of the characteris- 

 tics of its wild state. 



The Chinese also discovered that there 

 were other moths, the larvae of which 

 spun a cocoon of silken threads in which 

 to pass the period of its transformation 

 into an adult moth. Among these moths 

 is the Cynthia of our illustration. It is 

 a native of India, China and the adjacent 

 islands, and has been domesticated as a 

 source of silk in some provinces of China 

 and India. The Cynthia moth has also 

 been introduced into other countries, not 

 classed as silk-producing districts. In 

 both Europe and America it is easily 

 reared and, it would seem, readily ac- 

 climated. Unlike the mulberry silkworm, 

 the Cynthia is not seriously affected by 

 exposure to moisture. In fact, a certain 

 amount of moisture seems necessary for 

 its best development. An authority states 

 that ' "the caterpillar drinks greedily" 

 and he advises in the case of indoor cul- 

 ture that "the branches, when served 

 fresh, should either be dipped in water 

 or sprinkled abundantly, particularly 

 after the third moult." 



The Cynthia caterpillar feeds upon 

 the luxuriant foliage of the Ailanthus 

 or "Tree of Heaven." It has a remark- 

 able appetite, which seems to increase 

 with the increase of the food supply. 

 This is peculiarly observable toward the 

 close of the carterpillar life, say, after 



the third moult, when the craving seems 

 to be insatiable. The general color of the 

 caterpillar is yellow, with transverse 

 rows of small black spots, and the head 

 is black. After it moults the first time 

 the yellow color becomes more brilliant. 

 After the second moulting the color be- 

 comes much lighter, and the third cast- 

 ing of its skin presents a, creature with 

 a white skin with black spots and yellow 

 legs and head. 



The cocoon is large and the thread is 

 fine. Owing to the difficulty of dissolv- 

 ing the gum; which is secreted by the 

 larva to make the silken Walls of the 

 cocoon firm and strong, the silk is not 

 easily unwound. It is, therefore, usual- 

 ly carded and the yarn is woven into a 

 most durable silk cloth of a loose tex- 

 ture. English manufacturers have given 

 the opinion that "the silk from the Cyn- 

 thia may be made into shawls equal to 

 the best India." 



An enthusiastic \witer on the possibil- 

 ities of the Cynthia silkworm culture 

 says : "When nearly full-grown the 

 clusters of fine -caterpillars, set off by the 

 rich green of the Ailanthus leaf, forms a 

 very beautiful sight ; and although I can 

 not conscientiously recommend such an 

 ornament for the drawing room table, it 

 certainly m>ay be placed almost anywhere 

 without being offensive to the most fas- 

 tidious eye. Plenty of air and light 

 should be given them, but they should 

 not be exposed to the direct rays of the 

 sun. Reared even from motives of cu- 

 riosity, and without a view to imm-edi- 

 ate pecuniary results, the task can not 

 be performed without teaching a lesson 

 which will be of infinite value to the 

 mind anxious to inform itself of the 

 wonderful workings of that law of na- 

 ture that transforms a small crawling 

 animal into a beautiful flying creature 

 "large enough to be mistaken for a 

 bird." 



35 



