32 Remarks on the Silks of Assam, [Jan. 



was a complete failure ; there are no worms on the trees now, from 

 inability to procure cocoons, although there was a very abundant crop 

 in two pergunnahs at the opposite end of the district. 



The mooga plantations are principally round the ryuts' houses, and 

 are included in house-lands. By this year's measurement of the 

 Barree lands in the three divisions of the Nowgong zillah where the 

 land tax obtains, the quantity in actual occupation (exclusive of those 

 which being unclaimed have reverted to the state) amounts to 5350 

 acres : the proportion of mooga plantations is upwards of one-fourth or 

 1337 acres. In the five other divisions of the same zillah, which are 

 three times the area, and have more than doubls the population, but 

 of which we have no accurate measurements, I will only venture 

 to estimate the quantity of mooga plantations at half that of the other 

 three or about 600 acres, but on this low calculation there would be a 

 total of 2000 acres for Nowgong. Estimating the plantations of the 

 Derung and Ramrup zillahs at only 1500 acres each, there would be 

 a total of 5000 acres of those plantations in Lower Assam, exclusive 

 of what the foi ests contain of them : this quantity is capable of pro- 

 ducing in one year 1500 maunds. In Upper Assam I understand the 

 plantations are more extensive than ours. 



4. Kontkdrt Mooga. — This worm feeds on many trees besides the 

 " mooga trees ;" it is found oftener on the bair, (Zizyphus jvjuba,) 

 and the seemul, (Bombax heptaphyllum,) but not in great quantities. 

 The worms, moths and cocoons are considerably larger than any of the 

 others ; indeed the cocoon is the size of a fowl's egg. Several Assa- 

 mese told me they had vainly attempted to domesticate them ; the 

 eggs have been hatched, but after observing the worms for a few days 

 on the trees they have at once disappeared. They attributed this to 

 its being a " dewang" or spirit; the real cause may probably be its 

 being fond of changing its food, and gifted with greater locomotive 

 powers than the generality of the silk- worms. I have been told by 

 some Bengalees that it is found in Bengal in the wild state on the 

 " bair" as in Assam, and called " Gootee-poka;" it is there reeled 

 off like the mulberry silk and much valued for fishing lines, but not 

 wove, probably from its scarcity. The fibre is stronger than that of 

 the mooga and of a lighter color. 



5. Deo Mooga. — I accidentally became acquainted with this worm, 

 which is very little known to the natives and entirely in the wild state. 

 Three years ago being employed in Jumna-mdkh (CacharJ, I had 

 occasion to take some bearings, for which purpose I had a white cloth 

 put up on a large " Bur" tree, (Ficus Indica ;) the year after, being 

 near the same spot, the ryuts came and told me that two months after 



