being considerably compressed in the middle, 
smaller than the female, or by having one extrem- 
ity much more pointed than the other. 
It is a great advantage to those who do not 
reel the cocoons to sell them as soon as gathered, 
as they weigh more then than at any other time. 
The first object of attention, after the cocoons 
have been gathered, is to choke or " stifle " the 
chrysalides, which is generally done in one of the 
following manners : 
I. By the solar rays. 
Select a clear warm day; spread the cocoons out 
on a cloth, and place them in the sun, being careful 
to keep the ants away. 
Keep them exposed in this 'manner for four or 
five hours during the middle of the day, for five or 
six days, and the chrysalis will usually be stifled. 
In order to ascertain whether life is extinct or 
not, strip the silk from a cocoon and stick the 
chrysalis with a needle ; if no signs of animation 
are evident, the stifling has been completed. 
II. By the heat of an oven. 
Place the cocoons to be stifled in long shallow 
baskets, and put them in an oven whose tempera- 
ture is about 200° Fahr. Let them bake for about 
two hours. When taken out of the baskets they 
