150 SATURNIA MYLITTA. 
producing a Tusseh silk. They are annual, and are 
said to remain in the cocoon nine months, and to be 
three months in the egg and worm state. 
" 2d, That the species cannot be domesticated ; 
the natives apparently not being able to retain any 
of it for seed. The hill people say that they go 
into jungles, and under the Byer and Asseen trees 
they find the excrement of the insect ; on which 
they examine the tree, and, on discovering the small 
worms, they cut off branches of the tree sufficient 
for their purpose, with the young brood on the 
branches ; these they carry to convenient situations 
near their houses, and distribute the branches on 
the Asseen tree in proportion to the size thereof, 
but they put none upon the Byer tree. The 
Paricahs, or hill people, guard the insects night 
and day while in the worm state, to preserve them 
from crows and other birds by day, and from bats 
by night. 
'' I have myself seen them," continues the writer, 
'■ thus watcliing the brood. This species cannot be 
confined, for so soon as the moth pierces the cocoon 
it gets away ; and the people add, that it is impos- 
sible to keep it, by any precaution whatever. 
" To wind off these cocoons, they put them into a 
ley made of plantain ashes and water, for about two 
hours, after which they take them out of the ley, 
and put them in their wet state into an earthen pot ; 
those which are properly softened are first applied to 
the reel, and so on, as the cocoons become soft, for 
four or five days, till the whole are wound off. 
