The silk-worm is liable to various diseases, particularly to one by which great num bers are often destroyed, and which is either caused or characterized by the growth of a small fungus known as silk-worm-rot, or muscardine (q.v.).
Of the other species of silk-worm, many are rapidly increasing in commercial impor tance. The following is an enumeration of the chief silk-producing insects; those in italics are not as yet employed in manufactures: Bombyx mori.—The common silk-worm, native of India, and reared in other parts of the world.
B. crzesi.—Crosses have been obtained between this and B. mori, yielding excellent silk, at Mussooree.
B. textor.—Native of Mussooree.
B. sinensis.—China.
B. Huttoni.—Silk collected in Mussooree.
B. Horlfieldi.—Nntive of Java.
Attacus atlas.—Native of India, and said to yield some of the " Tusseh silk." A. Guerini.—Native of Bengal.
A. ricink —Native of Assam.
A. cynthia.—The "Eria-," or " Arrindy" silkworm, native of India, now extensively raised in Hong-kong, Nepaul, Mussooree, Java, and to some extent in southern Europe. It feeds on the leaves of the ailanto (q v.) tree.
Antherrea Mezankooria.—The Mezankooria silk-moth.
A. Paphia.—The true tussehi or tinsur moth, native of Darjeeling. and other parts of upper India. It is produced very extensively, and is chiefly collected in the jungle districts by the Sahars and other half-wild castes who live in the jungles. The cocoons are so carefully concealed in the leaves that much care is required to discover them, the only indication being the dung of the caterpillar under the trees. The tin sel' silk is easily wound off from the cocoons in the same way as that of the common silk-worm.
A. Assama.—The Moonga, or Moogha, native of Assam.
A. Pernyi. —North China.
A. Perrottettk —North China.
A. Roylek—Mussooree.
.A. Heyerk—Darjecling.
A. Jana.—Java.
A. Frithik—Da rj eel i ng.
A. Larissa-.—Java.
The preceding seven are all called tusseh moths.
Adios Selene.—Darjeeling.
Saturnia pyretorum.—China.
S. Grotek—Darjeel ing.
Ltroft Katinka. —Java.
Neoris Hultoni.—Mussooree.
Caligula Tilieta.--Mussoorce.
C. Simla.
Sala ssa Lola.—South-east Ilimalays.
Oricula triferrestrata.—Java.
It will be seen by the above list that hitherto very few of the silk-motbshave been turned to man's profit. The first in importance after the common silk-worm is the true tur(selt, next the nwonga, the silk from both of which can be wound off the cocoon; and then the eria, which cannot he wound easily, and is therefore generally carded.
Silk appears not to have been well known to the ancients; although several times mentioned in the translations of the Bible, the best authorities deny that it in the original, or that it was known to the Hebrews. Among the Greeks, Aristotle is the first who mentions it, and he only says that "Pamphile, daughter of Plates, is reported to have first woven it in Cos;" and from all the evidence which has been collected, it would apps ar that the natives of Cos received it indirectly (through the Phenicians and Persians) from China. The silken webs of Cos found their way to Home, but it was very long Lefore they were obtainable except by the most wealthy. The cultivation in Europe of the worm itself did not take place until 530 A.D., when, according to an account given by Procopius, the eggs were brought from India (China) to the emperor Justinian by some monks.
In China the cultivation of silk is of the highest antiquity, and according to the greatest Chinese authorities, it was first begun by Si-ling, the wile of the emperor Hoang-ti, 2,600 years B.C., and the mulberry was cultivated for the purpose of feeding them only 40 years.later.
Since its introduction into Europe it has always formed a great branch of industry in Italy, urkey, and Greece, and it has been cultivated to some extent in France, Spain, and Portugal. In England, too, from time to time, laudable efforts have been made to cultivate it, especially by =Mrs. Whitby cf Ncwiands, 3Ir. Mason of Yately in Hampshire, and lady Dorothy Neville of Dangstein in Hampshire; but their partial success has not encouraged others to pursue this branch of industry, which requires a warmer and less variable climate and cheaper labor than we can command.