REPORT ON THE DISEASES OP SILKWORMS IN INDIA 79 



silk-gland is very heavily attacked (Plate II, fig. 1), so that fre- 

 quently no silk or very little silk is produced. In the case of 

 the progeny of diseased moths the offspring are often very weakly 

 without showing very much infection themselves. There again 

 silk may not be produced, or if it is, the worm may be too weak to 

 make a cocoon. This so-called " disease " then is nothing but 

 an indication that the worms are greatly debilitated usually — 

 practically always, if there are many cases in a rearing— from the 

 effects of pebrine. Mukerji (1899) mentions that lali is more com- 

 mon in February and March owing to the leaf at the season of the 

 year being " wanting in nutrient properties ", but he points out 

 that " when any considerable loss takes from this cause it sfiould 

 be put down to latent pebrine. Worms reared from seed free 

 from pebrine are seldom affected by rangi." 



As will be seen from Appendix II — note especially lots 1, 2, 3 — 

 Lali is complained about by the rearers to a slight extent, chiefly 

 by those who rear village seed. If good seed were used the trouble 

 would probably be of even less importance. 



