40 
PHALINA. 
by Monf. Vetron, from Picardy, and Matthew Stellendge, 
efq. to whom a patent royal was granted to plant mul¬ 
berry-trees in all parts of England. The fcheme for a 
while fucceeded; and fo fedulous was the monarch and 
his whole royal family in feeding (ilk-worms and prepar¬ 
ing thread, that the queen had iilk enough of her own 
winding to make many yards of taffeta, which at length 
being wrought into proper garments, her majefty, on the 
king’s birth-day, appeared at court in a complete fuit, all 
the effect of her majeffy’s own induftry. The profperity 
of the royal fcheme was beyond expedfation ; but, upon 
a warm reprefentation of the merchants refpedting the 
impolicy of checking the imports, and other caufes likely 
to arife, the purfuit declined as rapidly as it had ad¬ 
vanced ; and in a very (liort time not a public filk-work 
was to be feen, except at this place, where they had their 
commencement. (Gent. Mag. Oft. 1821.) 
The culture of the fiik-worm has been lately encou¬ 
raged by the Auftrian government; and an account is 
given in Bright’s Travels in Hungary, 1814., of fome very 
material improvements made by a cultivator afting under 
the royal patronage. The relult was a confiderable in- 
creafe of the quantity produced ; but the habits of the 
Hungarian peasantry are ill fuited to the peculiar atten¬ 
tion and minute care that are requiiite for an employment 
lo ftridtly domeftic. 
The (ilk-worm, however, is perhaps far from being the 
only infeft of whofe labours man might avail himfelf. 
There are many fpecies very common, and immenfely fer¬ 
tile, that might be beneficially employed in procuring 
filk, did we know how to avail ourfelves of their labours. 
Reaumur has mentioned feveral whole produftions ought 
to be fubjefied to experiment by the manufacturer; and, 
at fome future period, fome of thefe may be turned to ac¬ 
count. 
20. Phalsena neuftria, the lackey-moth : wings pale 
buff-colour, with two ferruginous (freaks above, and only 
one beneath. This is (hown, feeding on the Ophris, or 
twayblade, at Plate II. fig. 1. of that article, vol. xvii. p. 
S 2 5- 
21. Phalsena atra, the black (heatlied moth, or tiny: 
wings footy black. This fpecies is called the Jheath-moth, 
becaufe the worm from which it proceeds forms for itfelf 
a peculiar kind of covering, like a (heath. There are 
feveral fpecies of moth-worms which inveft themfelves 
with a covering formed of fragments of leaves or of wood ; 
they firft w'eave a delicate cafe of (ilk which they extradf 
from their own bodies, and to preferve this, their inftindt 
leads them to recur to fubftances more folid. The mod 
common, according to Frifch, is that fpecies which feeds 
on the blades of couch-grafs, and makes its covering of 
the fame : Reaumur calls it Tinea graminella; Linnseus, 
Pha'sena atra. The cafe thus formed is rough and un¬ 
even; and we might wonder that fo fmall a worm is able 
to carry fuch a heavy houfe; its chief difficulty however, 
is in climbing, for then we may fee it labouring with the 
weight. This worm is reddifti ; four lines of ffiining 
brown run longitudinally upon the head and three firft 
rings of the body ; ii has eight membranous feet with 
claws. The covering is a cylindrical cafe of filk, and, over 
that, a row of minute twigs nearly equal in length, laid 
parallel, and (luck together with a kind of glue by the 
animal for half their length, which is about five lines; 
the three firft rings of the body appear outfide the (heath. 
“ Defirous to know the entire form of this infedt,” fays 
M. Schrank of Bavaria, “ I took off’ the (heath or cover¬ 
ing. Hitherto the worm had been walking about in the 
box; but now it remained partly ftationary, endeavouring 
to colledt the pieces I had thrown in to form a new ha¬ 
bitation. It was foon half clothed; but it was evident 
this was done haftily, and of neceffity : the animal was 
by no means fatisfied with this piecemeal covering, but 
required a proper habit, exadtly fuited to its (hape. As 
this appeared a difficult undertaking, I carefully watched 
the manner in which it was executed. The animal 
began by collecting and laying in order the fcattered 
pieces of its former covering; its mandibles or nippers 
ferved for hands; it fattened a thread to the end of one 
piece of wood, and fo on fucceffively; thus it brought 
the pieces together- by means of threads from its own 
body, (lopping from time to time to arrange the pieces, 
and to bend them to the (hape of its body.” 
The caterpillar, when out of its (heath, appears moftly 
in a bent form. It is of a dirty black, except the head, 
corfelet, and five rings of the back, which are bright 
chefnut; the fix feet are black, as well as the antennae, 
which are very (lender; it is covered with a light down, 
thicker upon the lower extremity of the body, to defend 
the infedt from the drying adtion of the air while (he lays 
her eggs, of which her body, like the gall-infedt, is 
entirely full. This feems a new difcovery, as none but 
the gall-infedt was known to be fo extremely full of eggs. 
Reaumur fays that the female lays fecundated eggs with¬ 
out any connexion with the male; this indeed appears 
probable, for the body, while in the (heath, feems to pre¬ 
clude any contadt ; but we cannot judge of all Nature’s 
refources. Thefe eggs however were difcovered only 
in one infedt, which the experimenter opened by accident, 
and they were unprodudlive. 
Fuefsly examined and figured three of thefe infedts. 
The firft was clothed with bits of couch-grafs and frag¬ 
ments of o.ther plants. The fecond, being accidentally 
upon a dry dunghill, made a (trange kind of (heath of 
bits of draw pointing in various diredtions ; fome were 
fhorter, and fitted clofer to the body; with fome fragments 
of leaves. The third, which was found on a juniper-tree, 
had conftrudted its habitation of fcraps and fragments of 
various kinds. The length of the (heath was from fifteen 
lines to two inches. The cryfalids opened in the months 
of June and July : the females appeared to have no wings, 
little (hape, little life. One cryfalis remained ; and on 
the 9th of Auguft, out came feveral little worms with 
(heaths or coverings round them, formed out of the 
fragments of that of their parents: for we need hardly 
(top to refute the abfurd opinion of fome, that they are 
born ready drefied ; in fadt, a few appeared without any 
covering. Thus we fee one female fruitful, and a great 
number barren; the reafon is not yet accounted for, 
nor the manner or time in which the coupling is per¬ 
formed between thefe helplefs females and winged males, 
c. Wings defledted ; tongue (hort; back fmooth. 
22. Phalsena lagopus : wings yellowifli, with brown 
fpecks and two (treaks; the forelegs are projedting, and 
very hairy. It is a native of China. 
23. Phalsena imperatoria : wings yellow, fpotted with 
brown, each with a ferruginous fpot. Native of India. 
24. Phalsena fenatoria : wings brown, teftaceous, with a 
brown (freak; the upper pair with a central fnowy dot. 
This and the next are natives of America. 
25. Phalaena pellucida : wings brown, teftaceous, with 
a purple outer margin ; upper pair with a central fnowy 
dor. 
26. Phalaena crafficornis : wings cinereous, with brown 
fpecks and waved (freaks. It is a large infedt, and a na¬ 
tive of India. 
27. Phalsena hyphinoe : wings blue; upper pair fpot¬ 
ted with yellow. This and the next are natives of Am- 
boyna. 
28. Phalsena cyane: wings black, with hyaline fpots; 
lower ones with fulvous lunules. 
29. Phalsena regalis: wings grey-brown, with fulvous 
veins and yellow fpots. It inhabits North America. 
30. Phalaena difpar: upper wings of the male brown, 
with black flexuous bands: of the female whitifti, with 
tranfverfe flexuous brown lines. The larva is hairy, with 
white lines and blue fpots on the forepart, and red ones 
behind. When handled, it caufes an unpleafant itch¬ 
ing on the (kin. The pupil is folliculate, with four black 
dots. 
31. Phalsena lantanas: wings fnowy, with three or four 
(freaks of connedted brown rings. Native of America. 
32. Phalsena amafis: wings whitifti, with black (freak's ; 
3 lower 
