1637.] Remarks on the Silks of Assam. 25 



The head, claws and holders are black ; after the second moulting 

 they change to an orange color, that of the body gradually becomes 

 lighter, in some approaching to white, in others to green, and the 

 black spots gradually become the color of the body ; after the fourth 

 and last moulting the color is a dirty white or a dark green : the white 

 caterpillars invariably spin red silk, the green ones white. On attaining 

 its full size the worm is about three and half inches long : unlike the 

 mooga caterpillar, its colors are uniform and dull, the breathing holes 

 are marked by a black mark — the moles have become the color of the 

 body, they have increased to long fleshy points, without the sharp 

 prickles the Mooga worm has ; the body has a few short hairs, hardly 

 perceptible. 



In four days the cocoons are complete ; after the selection for the 

 next breed is made, they are exposed to the sun for two or three days 

 to destroy the vitality of the chrysalis. The hill tribes settled in the 

 plains are very fond of eating the chrysalis — they perforate the cocoons 

 the third day to get them, they do the same with the mooga and sell 

 few cocoons imperforated. 



The cocoons are put over a slow fire in a solution of potash, when 

 the silk comes easily off: they are taken out and the water slightly 

 pressed out : they are then taken one by one, loosened at one end and 

 the cocoon put over the thumb of the left hand, with the right they 

 draw it out nearly the thickness of twine, reducing any inequality by 

 rubbing it between the index and thumb ; in this way new cocoons 

 are joined on. The thread is allowed to accumulate in heaps of a quarter 

 of a seer : it is afterwards exposed to the sun or near the fire to 

 dry ; it is then made into skeins with two sticks tied at one end and 

 opening like a pair of compasses : it is then ready to be wove unless 

 it has to be dyed. 



The dyes used are lac, munjeet and indigo, and the process of dy- 

 ing is as follows. 



Red Dye. — The lac after having been exposed to the sun to render 

 it brittle, is ground and sieved as fine as possible : it is steeped twelve 

 hours in water, after which the thread is thrown in with the leaves of 

 a tree, called by the Assamese Litakoo — (Pierardia sapida P F. J.) 

 When it has absorbed most of this mixture, it is taken out, put over 

 two cross sticks, and shaken a short time to detach the threads well 

 from each other : it is dried in the sun and the same process again 

 gone through twice. When it is wished to increase the brightness of 

 the color, it is again dyed with munjeet : the latter is dried in the sun 

 and ground in the same way, it is steeped for forty-eight hours ; the 

 threads are put in and boiled in the same way, but with the leaves of a 



