244 The New Oah-feeding Silkworm of China. 



with, a small piece of hard substance of the same light brown 

 colour as the head. The three pairs of front claws are, on the 

 other hand, curved ; and are entirely composed of the hard, 

 light brown substance. The five pairs of back claws serve as 

 feet, by means of which the animal holds on to the twig, or 

 stem part of the leaf, while the front claws serve as hands, by % 

 means of which it twists round the edge of the leaf to its 

 mouth. When the grub is in one of its torpid periods, it 

 holds on to the twig solely by means of the five pairs of back 

 claws, the foremost five joints (three with claws and two 

 without) being altogether detached from the twig, in the air. 

 A little above the claws on each side there is, on each joint or 

 segment, a bright blue speck, out of which two or three hairs 

 grow. A little above these blue specks there is on each side, 

 down the last or tailmost, nine joints, a brownish streak, which 

 two streaks widen and join together as a brown band on the 

 tail joint. On the eighth and ninth of the joints, counting 

 from the tail end, there are on this brown streak two silvery 

 or white metallic coloured spots on each side. The brown 

 band does not extend to the foremost three joints ; on the 

 other hand, each of these joints has two blue specks on each 

 side, one above or higher up than the other. The animal is 

 thickest about the second and third joints, counting from the 

 head, and tapers off somewhat towards the tail." 



' ( When the worm begins to make its cocoon, it selects two 

 or more oak-leaves, more or less facing each other, and lower 

 than the twig from which they proceed. These leaves it joins 

 together by a network of its silk thread, which thread keeps 

 issuing from its mouth as it moves its head from one leaf to 

 the other. It holds on, in the meantime, by its back claws to 

 the twig. When the leaves are sufficiently joined to form a 

 sort of cup or basket under the twig to which it is holding, it 

 loosens its hold, and drops into the receptacle it has thus 

 formed. The hindermost seven joints of the body are then 

 with the tail joints slightly curled in, drawn together, and, 

 remaining in a state of total inaction, serve, I presume, merely 

 as a store from which the silk thread matter is drawn. The 

 work of further self-inclosure the animal does with his head, 

 and the foremost five joints of the body. It first quite sur- 

 rounds itself with the loose flossy-like silk which forms the 

 outer portion of the cocoons as they come to market, and 

 through which its green body remains for a time visible. It 

 then gradually forms the dense, hardish, skin- like substance 

 which constitutes the inner portion of the cocoon. 



On opening a cocoon which had b^een recently formed, and 

 was to outward appearance quite finished, I found inside a 

 complete green worm curled up in the way I have described as 



