2 34 
INSECTS. 
The manner of breeding Silk Worms 
THE eggs are laid in a warm room: the women 
often carry them in their bofoms, or lay them be- 
tween the bolfters in a bed, where they are hatched ; 
and to the Worms they immediately give Mulberry 
leaves, to which they flick fall. They eat and 
grow for forty days, all that time laying on flages 
made of reed, in an arbour formed of boughs 
of trees. I he worms are covered once a day with 
Mulberry leaves; and creeping upon thefe leaves, 
they feem almofl to cover them, by the time a new 
layer of leaves is to be put over them. When they 
begin to change colour, the people fet up branches 
of various trees ; thefe they climb up, and begin to 
fpin. When they have left off fpinning, they are 
taken from their habitations ; fuch as are to be 
ufed for filk, which is by much the greateft part, 
are laid in hot water, and wound on a reel ; the re- 
mainder arc kept alive to be transformed into moths, 
for preferving the breed. When the Moths are 
come forth, the attendants fpread a black carpet ^ 
the room; on this they lay their eggs, which are pr e ' 
ferved in fmall bags. Thunder frequently deftroy 5 
the worms, and Ants are their enemies, wherefo r< - 
they cannot be bred in Egypt. Seyde (Sidon) ex- 
port? yearly filk to a great value, as does alfo 'in' 
poli. The former of thefe places fends the greate 1 
part to Damafcus, where they manufacture t j | 1 . e 
beautiful watered half filks, viz. Cotton and SiT 
inixr, which are not to be equalled in any 
•4 
part 
