Scientific American Supplement, No. 344, August 5, 1882Various
Science
Scientific American Supplement, No. 344, August 5, 1882
Various
Science -- Periodicals
The Kumaon Cynthia cocoons, as I found it to be the case with Indian
species introduced for the first time into Europe, did not produce moths
at the same time, nor as regularly as the acclimatized species. The
moths emerged as follows: One female on the 22d of July; one female on
the 25th; one male on the 3d August; one female on the 19th; one male on
the 28th of August; one male on the 2d September; one female on the 3d.
A pairing was obtained with the latter two. Two males emerged on the 4th
of September; one male on the 6th; one male and one female on the 22d;
one female on the 23d; and one female on the 25th of September. Five
cocoons, which did not produce any moths, contain pupæ, which are still
in perfect condition; and the moths will no doubt emerge next summer
(1882). As seen in my note, a pairing of this wild Indian Cynthia took
place; this was from the evening of the 4th to the 5th of September. The
eggs laid by the female moth were deposited in a most curious way, in
smaller or larger quantities, but all forming perfect triangles. These
eggs I gave to a florist who has been very successful in the rearing
of silk-producing and other larvæ; telling him to rear the Cynthia on
lilacs grown in pots and placed in a hot-house, which was done. The
worms, which hatched in a few days, as they were placed in a hot-house,
thrived wonderfully well, and I might say they thrived too well, as they
grew so fast and became so voracious that the growth of the lilac trees
could not keep pace with the growth of the worms. These, at the fourth
stage, became so large that the foliage was entirely devoured, and, of
course, the consequence was that all the worms were starved. I only
heard of the result of that experiment long after the death of the
larvæ; otherwise I should have suggested the use of another plant after
the destruction of the foliage of the lilacs; the privet (_Ligustrum
vulgare_) might have been tried, and success obtained with it.
Of such species as _Attacus pyri_, of Central Europe, and _Attacus
pernyi_, the North Chinese oak silkworm, which I have mentioned in my
previous reports, and bred every season for several years, I shall only
say that I never could rear Pyri in the open air in London, up to the
formation of the cocoon. As to Pernyi, I had, in 1881, an immense
quantity of splendid moths, from which I obtained the largest quantity
of ova I ever had of this species. I had many thousands of fertile ova
of Pernyi, which I was unable to distribute. Many schoolboys reared
Pernyi worms, but with what success I do not yet know. The number of
fertile ova obtained from Pyri moths was also more considerable than in
former years, which was due partly to the good quality of the pupæ, and
partly to the very favorable weather in June, at the time the pairings
of the moths took place.
Leaving these, I now come to the North American species.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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