Page:The history of silk, cotton, linen, wool, and other fibrous substances 2.djvu/22

 the ninth century—Extraordinary beauty of Indian, Chinese, Egyptian, and other manufactured goods preserved in this manuscript—Egyptian arts—Wise regulations of the Egyptians in relation to the arts—Late discoveries in Egypt by the Prussian hierologist, Dr. Lepsius—Cloth of glass     93
 * goods—Beautiful manuscript of Theodolphus, Bishop of Orleans, who lived in

CHAPTER VII.

DESCRIPTION OF THE SILK-WORM, ETC.

Preliminary observations—The silk-worm—Various changes of the silk-worm—Its superiority above other worms—Beautiful verses on the May-fly, illustrative of the shortness of human life—Transformations of the silk-worm—Its small desire of locomotion—First sickness of the worm—Manner of casting its Exuviæ—Sometimes cannot be fully accomplished—Consequent death of the insect—Second, third, and fourth sickness of the worm—Its disgust for food—Material of which silk is formed—Mode of its secretion—Manner of unwinding the filaments—Floss-silk—Cocoon—Its imperviousness to moisture—Effect of the filaments breaking during the formation of the cocoon—Mr. Robinet's curious calculation on the movements made by a silk-worm in the formation of a cocoon—Cowper's beautiful lines on the silk-worm—Periods in which its various progressions are effected in different climates—Effects of sudden transitions from heat to cold—The worm's appetite sharpened by increased temperature—Shortens its existence—Various experiments in artificial heating—Modes of artificial heating—Singular estimate of Count Dandolo—Astonishing increase of the worm—Its brief existence in the moth state—Formation of silk—The silken filament formed in the worm before its expulsion—Erroneous opinions entertained by writers on this subject—The silk-worm's Will     98

CHAPTER VIII.

GENERAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE CHINESE MODE OF REARING SILK-WORMS, ETC.

Great antiquity of the silk-manufacture in China—Time and mode of pruning the Mulberry-tree—Not allowed to exceed a certain height—Mode of planting—Situation of rearing-rooms, and their construction—Effect of noise on the silk-worm—Precautions observed in preserving cleanliness—Isan-mon, mother of the worms—Manner of feeding—Space allotted to the worms—Destruction of the Chrysalides—Great skill of the Chinese in weaving—American writers on the Mulberry-tree—Silk-worms sometimes reared on trees—(M. Marteloy's experiments in 1764, in rearing silk-worms on trees in France)—Produce inferior to that of worms reared in houses—Mode of delaying the hatching of the eggs—Method of hatching—Necessity for preventing damp—Number of meals—Mode of stimulating the appetite of the worms—Effect of this upon the quantity of silk produced—Darkness injurious to the silk-worm—Its effect on the Mulberry-leaves—Mode of preparing the cocoons for the reeling process—Wild