MOTH. 
35/ 
having less gum in their composition, do not lose 
so much in boiling. Before the silk is separated 
the cones are put into vessels of water, each of 
which is placed over a small fire, and the ends of 
the threads are found by stirring the cones gently 
about with a whisk made for the purpose. These 
ends are drawn through a hole in a piece of iron 
placed at the edge of the vessel which contains the 
cones. It is usual also to join together the silk of se- 
veral cones, as the threads are too fine to be wound off 
separately ; eight or ten threads are generally united, 
sometimes more, according to the degree of strength 
of which it is intended to make the silks. The cones 
remain in the water till they cease to furnish any 
more silk; but the last part of it is wound off by 
itself, as it grows weaker towards the ends, and is 
not of so beautiful a colour. 
A single cone, when unravelled, will yield an 
astonishing length of silk. The Abbe La Pluche 
made the experiment upon two cones, from one of 
which he wound off nine hundred and twenty-four 
feet, and from the other nine hundred and thirty : 
we are to remember likewise that the thread is 
double and glued one over the other through its 
whole length, so that it may justly be said to mea- 
sure nearly two thousand feet. It appears that 
this length of silk weighed only two grains and a 
half. 
In many parts of Bengal and the adjoining pro- 
vinces, the natives spin silk from a worm which 
differs specifically from the European. The cater- 
pillar grows to the length of four inches; it is three 
