230 
THE ART OP REARING 
are placed on the cloth, taking care to keep 
those which are placed afterwards separate, to 
avoid confusion. 
As I have said before, the time when the 
greatest number of moths are hatched begins 
about six or seven o’clock in the morning. Con- 
sequently the coupling takes place about eight 
o’clock, and at two o’clock in the afternoon the 
males ought to be detached, and the females de- 
posited in the place above described. The females 
that have had a virgin mate must be treated in the 
same manner as those which have been united with 
one that had been coupled previously five hours. 
The females should be left on the cloth 36 or 40 
hours, without being touched. 
I must here observe, on this subject, that the 
three following qualities of eggs may be obtained 
on separate pieces of linen. 
1st. The eggs of the females that have been 
united with virgin mates. 
2nd. The eggs of females that have been 
coupled with males not in the former state. 
3rd. Those of females, that in the two cases 
above mentioned, having already laid during the 
36 or 40 hours, still are about to lay again. 
As the common opinion is that three different 
qualities of eggs can thus be obtained, those who 
think so, ought to place them on separate pieces 
of linen. I ought, however, to observe, that I 
