Class 34.—Silk and Silk Fabrics.

The insects were reared in Auckland in a temperature between 65° and 75° without any extraordinary precaution to obtain the degree of heat, as the climate is all page 37 that could be wished for. The eggs hatched spontaneously about the end of October, rather later than usual. The moultings took place on the 8th, 15th, 24th, and 30th days respectively of the age of the worms. Twelve days afterwards all were spinning, and those which were placed for seed burst the cocoons within eighteen days after commencing to spin. It will thus be seen that the worms require to be fed during six weeks. Three hundred and sixty cocoons weighed one pound avoirdupois, and from a pound of cocoons I obtained an ounce of reeled silk, winding seven cocoons to the thread with a machine of the simplest construction. A better result might have been attained in reeling, as all the silk was not extracted from the cocoons, my principal object being to get eggs for next year; and I only fed at the rate of 60 lbs. of leaves to 3000 silkworms, whereas at least one-half as much more could have been consumed—100 lbs. being a fair average amount of food for that number of cocoons, which ought to yield a pound of reeled silk.