118 THE TUSSEH SILKWORM MOTH. 
border, but convex ; the eye in the centre of each 
is also the same; all are clothed with much soft 
hair, which becomes longer and longer towards the 
shoulder or points of insertion. 
** The following interesting history of these most 
beautiful as well as most useful animals, I have had 
the good fortune to procure, by means of Mr William 
Pope of Mahometpore, and with the writer (Mr 
Atkinson’s) permission, I transeribe in this place :— 
‘I have an opportunity of consulting two of 
the hill people, in whose neighbourhood a good deal 
of Tusseh silk is produced, and whom I have ques- 
tioned on points imperfectly known to myself. To 
reply to the Doctor's questions regularly :— 
“1st. The cocoons of the insect, which feeds 
on the Byer leaf, are called by the natives Bughy, 
producing a Tusseh silk. They are annual, and are 
said to remain in the cocoon nine months, and to 
be three months in the egg and worm state. 
«2d. This species cannot be domesticated. I 
am informed that the natives cannot even retain 
any of it for seed. ‘The hill people say that they 
go into jungles, and under the Byer and Asseen 
trees they find the excrement of the insect; on 
which they examine the tree, and, on discovering 
the small worms, they cut off branches of the tree 
sufficient for their purpose, with the young brood 
on the branches ; these they carry to convenient 
situations near their houses, and distribute the 
