=SILK.=—A species of wild silkworm is commonly distributed throughout the forests to the north of Kumassi, and has been identified as _Anaphe venata_. The silk cocoons of this species and those of _Anaphe infracta_ are used in Nigeria for spinning into yarn for weaving the “Saṉyaṉ” cloths of that country, but no use is apparently made of them in Ashanti. The worms live in small colonies, and form their cocoons in a common envelope of silk, from which two or three somewhat tubular processes project to enable the moths to emerge when the time arrives. The food plant of the silkworm has not been definitely ascertained, but, as the cocoons are found on a large number of herbaceous plants as well as trees, it seems probable that several plants are eaten by it. The quality of the silk is said to be good, and the colour is usually a golden or light brown.[3] =COPAL.=—The tree which produces this resin, often miscalled “gum,” which is commercially known as “Accra copal,” occurs throughout the forests of Ashanti and Akim, and has not yet been specifically determined. Investigations have shown that it is allied to _Cyanothyrsus oblongus_, Oliver, which yields the “Ogea” resin of Lagos, and which belongs to the Natural Order _LEGUMINOSÆ_. The flowers obtained from the Ashanti trees are of a similar construction to those of _Cyanothyrsus_. Locally the resin is commonly used for torches and for the preparation of a scented pigment called “Krobo,” which is used for elaborating patterns upon the skin, being commonly employed by the Akim people for this purpose. For export the chief value is for the preparation of varnish. The quantity exported reached 178 tons in 1907, after which it declined, and now no longer reaches a significant figure. The overwhelming interest attracted by cocoa has led to its disappearance. Cf. _Selected Reports Imperial Institute_, pt. ii., “Gums and Resins” (Col. Rep. Misc., Cd. 4971, 1909), pp. 172-5; _Bull. Imp. Inst._, vol. xii. (1914), p. 220. The copal-yielding trees are generally of immense size, and the resinous liquid may be observed exuding from the main trunk as well as the branches, in such a way as to form elongated “tears” or slabs, which harden on exposure to the air. When these become brittle they are broken off by wind and fall to the ground. Often the flow of resinous liquid seems to be so profuse that quantities reach the ground and form what is termed “fossil copal,” owing to the fact that it is dug from the ground beneath the trees. There is evidence to show that in some instances the original flow of the resinous liquid is caused by deep borings in the sap wood made by insect larvæ (probably _Coleoptera_—beetles), signs of which are commonly apparent on old trees, which yield the most copal. Specimens of branches, which have been tunnelled by these larvæ, have been collected, exhibiting all the cavities filled with hardened resin.