DIRECT DENEKITS FllOlI MOTHS. 73 



The silk tube, or spinneret, is seen at a. " You 

 may sometimes have seen," says the Abbe de hi 

 Pluche, " in the workshops of goldsmiths, or gold 

 wire-drawers, certain iron plates, pierced with holes 

 of different calibre, through which they draw gold 

 and silver wire, in order to render it finer. The 

 Silkworm has under her mouth such a kind of 

 instrument, with a pair of holes, (united into one 

 on the outside,*) through which she draws two 

 drops of the gum that fills her two bags. These 

 instruments are like a pair of distaffs for spinning 

 the gum into silken thread. Slve fixes the first 

 drop of gum that issues where she pleases, and then 

 draws back her licad, or lets hei-self fall, while the 

 gum, continuing to flow, is drawn out and lengthened 

 into a double (single, according to Lyonnet) stream. 

 Upon being exposed to the air, it immediately loses 

 its fluidity, becomes dry, and acquires consistence 

 and strength. She is never deceived in adjusting 

 the dimensions of the (united) apertures, or in cal- 

 culating tiie proper thickness of the thread, but in- 

 variably makes the strength in proportion to the 

 weight of her body. 



" It would be a very curious thing to know how 

 the gum which composes the silk is separated and 

 drawn off from the other juices that nourish the 

 animal. It must be accomplished like the secretions 



" Accoiiling to tlic discovfiy of Lyonnet. 

 VOL. II. F 



