- goods—Beautiful manuscript of Theodolphus, Bishop of Orleans, who lived in
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
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
