Entomological Society. 



6221 



of propa<^ating the species. But, besides these precautionary measures partly recom- 

 meiuled by others, he has had recourse to new remedies not hitherto recommended, 

 and has endeavoured to administer various medicines to the worms. From his ex-- 

 periments it appears that the silkworm dues not refuse to eat the leaves of the mulberry 

 sprinkled with Peruvian bark, gentian, valerian, mustard, Sic, and the two latter pow- 

 ders especially would seem to produce good effects. But scraped sugar appears for 

 the present to be preferable to all other remedies. The worms eat the leaves sprinkled 

 with sugar with extraordinary relish, and the experiments with this substance were 

 accordingly repeated on a larger scale in the estalishment of M. Augliviel, in the 

 department of the Gard, where one of the silk sheds, fitted up for twenty-seven trays, 

 was reduced by disease to four. The worms of these were transferred to another shed, 

 and divided into four lots; the first was fed in the common way, tbe second with 

 moistened leaves, the third with sugared leaves, and the fourth was subject to a rigorous 

 abstention from food for seventy- five hours, and then fed chielly with sugared leaves. 

 At the end of twenty-four hours several worms of the latter lot began to spin, and 

 made several small and imperfect cocoons on the tray ; the other worms began to 

 shrivel up and diminish in size, but on receiving the sugared leaves they speedily ral- 

 lied, and many of them spun their cocoons. The worms fed with moistened leaves 

 fared very badly, and very few of them spun cocoons. Those fed in the common way 

 presented nothing remarkable, and yielded a certain quantity of cocoons; but those fed 

 with sugared leaves thrived well and spun their cocoons sooner than the others. The 

 quantities of silk yielded by these four lots were respectively: — 1st lot, 210 grammes ; 

 2nd lot, nought; 3rd lot, 392 grammes, and of a superior quality; 4th lot, 152 

 grammes. Now, when it is considered that such a result was obtained from the use 

 of sugar on worms, the state of which was hopeless, it may reasonably be concluded 

 that its effect will be much more satisfactory in less desperate cases. At all events, 

 one great fact has been put beyond a doubt — viz., that medicine may be administered 

 to silkworms in the same way as it is administered to cattle and poultry. 



Proceedings of Societies, 

 Entomological Society. 

 August 2, 1858.— J. 0. Westwood, Esq., V.P., in the chair. 



.Donations. 



The following donations were announced, and thanks ordered to be given to the 

 donors: — * The Natural History Review' Vol. v. No. 3; presented by the Dublin 

 University Zoological Association. 'The Zoologist' for August; by the Editor. 

 'A Manual of British Butterflies and Moths,' No. 19; *The Entomologist's Weekly 

 Intelligencer,' Nos. 93—96; by H. T. Stainton, Esq. 'The Literary Gazette' for 

 July ; by the Editor. ' The Journal of the Society of Arts ' for July; by the Editor. 

 Four specimens of Laverva phragmitella ; by A. F. Sealy, Esq. 



