50 
THE ART OF REARING 
the sixth day to 73°; the seventh day to 75°; 
the eighth day to 77° ; the ninth day to 80° ; 
the tenth, eleventh, and twelfth days to 82°. 
The following are the signs of the speedy vivi- 
fication of the silk-worm. 
The ash-grey colour of the eggs grows bluish, 
then purplish, it then again grows grey, with 
a cast of yellow, and finally of a dingy white. 
These shades of colour will vary, and they de- 
pend also on the means used in washing the eggs ; 
I have seen them so deeply stained by red wine, 
that the colour remained unaltered even after 
the worm had cast the shell. 
If the eggs of silk -worms, belonging to dif- 
ferent proprietors, are put into the same stove- 
room, great differences will be observable, not 
only in changes of colour in the eggs, but also 
as to the period of hatching the worms. The 
insects of the eggs, that have been preserved 
through the winter, in an even and gentle tem- 
perature, and those of the eggs which have un- 
dergone maceration*, come forth four or five 
* By maceration is commonly understood, eggs preserved 
in bags, under cushions or mattresses, or in blankets and 
similar things, until the moment of putting them in the 
stove-house. Those who thus macerate them, are careful 
to move them now and then, to prevent their overheating ; 
maceration is employed to ensure their speedy hatching when 
put into the stove- room, or elsewhere. 
After this, can the cultivator have any idea or certainty. 
