sorts o f it in use among the C h in e se ; some admired for beauty, and others for durability.
It is generally supposed these are not merely the effect o f different manufacture, but
are the produce o f distinct insects.* Sir G. Staunton speaks o f the culture o f silk worms
* M. Merian says, in th e desc ription o f th e S u rin am variety o f P h a læ n a Atlas : “ Telam d u c u n t fortem,
qua re b ouum fore sericum r a ta , istius altquam coilegt copiam e t in Be lgium transmisi, ubi eadem o ptima
ju d ic a ta e st ; u t itaque, si quis E ru c a s ista s co ngregandi laborem n o n de tre c tav e rit, e t bo næ no tæ bombycem,
e t maximum hinc luc rum sibi com p a ra re p o sse t.” T h e th re ad o f which this coc con’s web is composed is so
stro n g , th a t it h a s been imagined it would m ak e good silk. I have b ro u g h t some o f it into H o llan d , w hich has
be en e steemed such ; so th a t if a n y one would ta k e th e tro u b le to colle c t a n um b e r o f the se c a te rp illa rs , they
would be found g ood silk worms, and produc e g re a t profit. M e r ia n .— Abbot informs us, th e Moths o f th e
Em p e ro r tribe in general a re c a lled silk worms b y th e people o f G eo rg ia ; and in th e d e sc ription o f P h a læ n a
Ce c ropia is still more explic it : for he says, “ th e c a te rp illa r spins on a tw ig ; th e o u tsid e web is coarse, th e
inne r covered with silk, like a silk worm’s coc con. I t is said this silk h a s be en c a rd ed , sp u n , a n d m ade into
sto ck in g s, a n d th a t it will wa sh like lin en .” A b b o t’s In s . b y D r . J . E . Sm ith .— These insects a re all o f th e
same na tu ra l orde r, P . C e c ropia is ra th e r smaller, b u t very similar to P . Atla s, a n d this information a t least
corrobora te s th e assertion o f Merian.
An opinion th a t th e Chinese re a r several k inds o f insects for th e sak e o f th e ir silk h a s lo n g been prevalent.
Dr. I^ ttsom proposes a que ry on th is su b je c t, “ Wh ich species o f m oth o r b u tte rfly is it, th e c a te rp illa r o f
which, in C h in a , affords th a t stro n g grey kin d o f silk, a n d how is it m an u fa c tu red o r w o re ? How a re the se
silk worms or c a te rpilla rs preserved, fed, a n d m a n ag ed ? T h e intro d u c tio n o f such a new silk in to E n g lan d
would be a useful acquisition, a n d rede em entomology from th e censure it is now b ra n d e d with, o f being a mere
curiosity void o f any re a l u tility .” ® I f Le sse r a n d L y o n e t a re to be relied o n , th e Théologie des In s e c te s
answers this que ry. “ A t this d ay th e re a re to b e found in C h in a , in th e province o f C a n to n , silk worms in a
wild s ta te , which, w ithout any c a re b e ing tak en o f th em , m ak e in th e woods a k in d o f silk which th e in habitants
afte rwa rds g a th e r from th e tre e s. I t is grey, w ith o u t lu stre , a n d is used to m ak e a very th ic k a n d stro n g c loth,
n am ed the re Kien Tcheon. I t may b e wa shed like linen c lo th , a n d does n o t s ta in .” A g en tlem an re sid en t in
th e E a s t Indie s sp e ak s o f a la rg e P h a læ n a pro d u c in g silk in th a t c o u n try : “ W e have a b e au tifu l silk worm
nortli-ea-st o f Ben g a l, th a t feeds on th e R ic in u s, whence I call it P h a læ n a Ricini ; it is se a -g re en , witli soft
spines, very large and voracious, a n d spins a coarse, b u t stro n g and useful silk. T h e m oth is o f g re a t size,
with e le g a n t d a rk plumage . Is it known to E uro p e an n a tu ra lists ?” In a collection o f p a p e r s p u b lish e d by
D r . A n d e rso n in M a d ra s , 1 788, 1 789.— M . Le B on, R e a um u r, Roesel, a n d several o th e rs, h av e a ttem p ted to
weave th e silk o f spiders a s a su b stitu te for th a t o f silk worms, b u t th e ir expe riments ra th e r am use a n d point
o u t th e in g en u ity o f th e proposers th a n promise to be u se ful; for a fte r many tria ls , it appe a rs th a t th e silk o f
spiders would be inferior in lu s tre a n d fa r more expensive th a n th a t o f silk worms. S ir G. S ta u n to n allude s to
the se expe riments in his d e sc ription o f th e J a v a forests. “ In some open spots were found webs o f spiders,
woven with th re a d s o f so stro n g a tex tu re , a s n o t easily to b e divided w ith o u t a cu ttin g in s trum e n t; th ey
seemed to rende r feasible th e ide a o f him who, in th e so u th e rn provinces o f E u ro p e , proposed a m anufa c ture
from spide rs’ th re ad s , which is so ridiculous to th e eyes o f th o se who h av e only viewed th e flimsy webs such
insects spin in E n g la n d .” Many o th e r su b stan c e s o f a soft te x tu re have also b e en w ro u g h t into a v a rie ty o f
trifling a rticles, a s gloves, s to ck in g s, &c. o f th e fibres o f A sbestos e a rth , o r mo u n ta in flax, b e a rd o f th e large
P in n a shell, &c. &c.
‘ N a tu ra lis t a n d T raveller’s Com p an io n , 1774.