282 HOMKS WITHOUT HAMDS. 



being found between the tropics. In all the species the antennae 

 of the males are remarkable for their beauty, being deeply 

 feathered, and shaped something like a spear-head mth a trian- 

 gular blade, and in many examples there is a loose mem- 

 branous talc-like spot in the middle of the wing. 



The cocoons of the Atlas Moth are made of silken thread, 

 much like that of the common silkworm, the cocoon being large 

 in proportion to the size of the moth, and the quantity of silk is 

 necessarily very great. Although the thread is not so fine or 

 glossy as that of the ordinary silkworm, it is strong, smooth, 

 and serviceable, and capable of being woven into fabrics of much 

 utility. 



The well-known Eria silk of India is produced by an insect 

 closely allied to the Atlas moth, Attacus ricini. This sUk is 

 very loose in texture, and, being without gloss, has a rather 

 flimsy look. In reality, however, it is possessed of peculiar 

 strength. 



One large species of silk-produciDg moth, also allied to the 

 Atlas, is the Att.atj titttr Sii<kwobm. The Acclimatisation Sociefy 

 is endeavoiiring to introduce this useful insect into this countiy, 

 and so to make England a silk-producing country. We have 

 not sufficient mulberry-trees to feed sDkworms in such numbers 

 as would make their employment profitable, and thus the ordi- 

 nary silkworm is rather beyond our reach. But the insect in 

 question feeds on the ailardhus glandulosus, a tree which has 

 been imported from China, and thrives wonderfully in the open 

 air. In March, 1864, 1 saw a young sapling about three feet in 

 height that had sprung from a seed sown in March of the pre- 

 vious year. 



This insect is very hardy, and after it has been hatched and 

 fed for a little time like the ordinary silkworm, it is laid on the 

 growing leaves and left to shift for itself. The caterpillar is 

 nothing of a wanderer, and does not attempt to straggle from 

 the tree, being content to stay and make its cocoon among the 

 branches. The moth is coloured like the Atlas, being mostly of 

 a greyish yellow, with some markings of duU violet, and some 

 spots of black and white. The caterpillar is green marked with 

 black. 



There is a North American species of moth — also one of the 

 Atlas moth's numerous allies — ^which displays a wonderful piece 



