Telegram-herald., 1890-11-15
THE SILK-w0RM.
Various TrsnsEornzeiens Throueh
WhAcA + Mt Paas
g. va Originally Native - Chis4 zGs
u.s tzkrsa4~<a - E4rsps - sss-
kts v42zs ~ Ce.4szeS -
Was IL zzs.e


tlro, Fle4er ant more be&atifal thsn
any % Be derived frou ether soaress.
A. IA early Ferioa. q consiesrable
+ coE4 ueree VAS established ia sllk BE-
tween Eastern AM Western Asia. fron
which .asses quarter 10 Wa conveyed to
Aar0pe, ogt uot uRtN TIE sixth eentary
Z - tae ChFisti2n era AS IL disunctiy
kRosa by Europeans th2s The splendid
F Tissues. ahlc1 they lad Worn for
more than = thousand years and
waeh saey BAD evea partially
manutsctured fFom the rau transported
/ material sefe ths product originally ~
icgrR- Iko nrs- sls-noFms seen IN
1 EuleIe we're brought frOm China IN tho
I Year $50 ~ two Persian DonAs ~ho
I La gone thtther as Christian mission
/ aries a1i who c0ntrlved 70 sccrets
! ngu Der 81 tie sllk-worms eggs ~
cane. and % escaps vita them % Con
I stantlnopie Prem these feN eggs have
/ surune al tae successive generations OF
/ lIk-worns e hich have supplied silk 90
/ Europe lsom Gh1t period ~ the present
t.ma
The valuable insect whose history has
been thus b-lsay detailed receives from
/ natusels5s tho appsliatioa Of Ioa.lgr It
I is of lAe caterpillar tribe, aad, like It's
I congeners, passes through : number OF
+ transformatisns in tho course of its ex-
I istencs. It's FIRST state Is that q tts
I larva or czf rp.lar, which il entcrs into
on leaving the esq; its second state is
that Of the pupa OF ctryscis Is; and its
/ third state is that oi the imGc9 or moth
| The silk-worm moth is OF considerable
size and is OF grayish color. The fe-
male moth deposits its sggs on the mu.-
/ berry tree, the leaves OF which, as viii
DC Afterwards explained. form the solo
Subsistence OF tho silk-worm- This de-
/ posit, when the creatures are not under
artificial management Is made about
/ the middle Of summer. and the eggs OF
| one moth usually amount in number 70
/ threo or four hundred. They are about
/ the size OF mustard-seeds, and, at first,
! yellow in color, but afterwards assume
bluish-gray cast.
Being fastened by sort OF glue to
the SPOT, the egg OF the silk-worm re-
tains is position, in spite OF wind and
/ rain. until the period for the Matching
Z y
ard winter are passed, the egg opens in
/ May, and the worm which issues is
about quarter OF an inch in length,
| thin In body, and Of blackish tint. 1t
soon shows desire for food, and begins
10 feed on tho mulberry leaves, though
without exhibiting any inclination to
roam from the spot where 1t first came
TO life. For eight days il continues to
eat with avidity. and increases 10 near
| Is twice its original magnitude. At the
end OF this time 1t falls into what is
called its first sickness, and leaves of
eating for three days, when u casts its
first skin. This molting is repeated
four times, at regular intervals, before
the worm sttains the complete cater
/ pillar state, which commonly takes
/ place about month after the Matching
OF the worm. The reason Of these sue
cessive moldags IS 20 be sought for in
tie rapid growth OF the worm, which
increases its bulk many thousand-fold
during these changes The original
skin. when once become hardened,
could scarcely be distended at a rate
! sufficient 20 accommodate the augment
/
number Of coverings have been pro-
vided in cU4bryO % obviate the diff
Guilty The plan which the worm takes
TO get out OF its skin IS 20 fasten tho
latter 70 the leaf o. { sort Of silky glue,
which holds 10 fast, until tho inmate
! rubs its head against tho leaf. breaks
OF the scales, aad finally drags through
its whole body.
Ten days after its fourth molting,
tho worm attains It's complete cater
! pillsr state, and is then about two and
halt inches long, with twelve parallel
and equi-dsiant membranous rings
round its green body, and sixteen legs
arranged In pairs, of which the five
posterior ones arc movable, and the
three anterior pairs scaly and immov-
able, serving, seemingly, for supports
only. The caterpillar has fourteen
eyes, sevon on each sido OF tho head,
and along tho body are eighteen holes
for tho crsaturc'3 breathing. each hoio
being connected with somo kind Of res
piratorY organ. The mouth IS placed
vertically, md The jaws arc iudenle1
Ike The teeth of saw Immediately
boneztA s1s mouth are two small holes,
placed close 20 each other, AID through
whi-h proceeds The silk which tao
creature spins These holes are con-
uected wish two bags OF tubes In the
interior Of She oojy. in which is secret
est the yellow. Eummy substance wbich
constitutes tho silk. These tubes OF
baTs are oi E-cas length, in cor Darison
wirh tho au.uals body. being c2ch
about cen inches ong They arc wound
round q portion of tlr intestlnes. as on
q spindle. ard Go noe communicate di-
rcctly vi "a ths external holes. bat by
means 81 sort 81 CRATER. pierced with
many openings, through which Che SD <
gun Is drawn out III many flamonts.
e ba united as they issue b7 che extef-
nai aperture into one thread.
Having fed itself during the ten DAYS
subsequent % enc last Noting up 60 TIE
full size che cateruill ar. constituted as
ve have described, hezins 20 feel the
stimulus oi nature Urging Is 70 the neat
change 81 its condition. which is neccs-
sarY 20 bring it 20 she moth OF butterf 2
SAFE. and which is accom- panied VITA
operations most beneficial to the humsu
ryce- The ca-errilIar seek a corner or
singular srot in which % begin i-s spin
ming Having settled this point ii
weaves numb - irrerul ar threads
sround ths place. 20 be a suprort % ia
future tenement The mode in which
g. Arnz -h fs n~ rwf~- 4 ~--fr-- ~ fna