ia_ and _Bombyx Cynthia_, species of
silkworms which feed upon oak leaves. * * Also the _Bombyx Yamamai_
which feeds upon mulberry leaves; also the _Bombyx Pernyi_, of
which the cocoons are early as good as the cocoons of worms fed upon
mulberry leaves."

I have given this extract, word for word, as it stands in the columns
of the _Tribune_, because it contains more blunders of one kind or
another than I remember ever to have seen in so many words. _Cecropia_
is certainly not very particular as to its food, but it is not an oak
feeder. _Cynthia_ will thrive on nothing except ailanthus, though it
will eat one or two other things, but not oak. The _Yamamai_, on
the other hand, will eat oak, indeed it is its natural food; but Mr.
Warren errs greatly when he says that it will feed on mulberry. The
last clause of the sentence, which says that cocoons of _Pernyi_ are
nearly as good as those of worms fed on mulberry leaves, must be a
sort of entomological joke, of which the point is not discoverable by
me, so I pass it over.

I do not, however, notice this report on account of its grammatical
and entomological mistakes. It is because of the evil effects it may,
and probably will, have on amateur silk culturists, that I notice
it; for most assuredly, failure will be the result of all attempts
to produce silk cocoons by feeding the caterpillars of the different
moths on the food prescribed by Mr. Warren. Any patriotic, money
making farmer, who believes in the _Tribune_, purchasing _Yamamai_
eggs and setting his worms to feed upon mulberry, which they refuse to
eat, and consequently, all die, will probably give up silk culture
as being nothing more or less than a humbug. And thus the cause is
injured.

For several years past, I have made some experiments in the rearing of
the silkworms, giving the result of my experience in the first year in
Vol. II., page 311, of the _American Naturalist_; and of a subsequent
year in the _Entomologist_, for November, 1869.

The paper in the _Naturalist_ is devoted to my experiments with the
ailanthus silkworm, _Samia Cynthia_ (G. & R.), a naturalized species
from the East. In that paper, I have said all that is necessary to
say at present, on that species, except perhaps that I am further
convinced, from the inspection of samples of sewing and other silks,
made from the cocoons of _Cynthia_, that one day it will be reared
very extensively in the United States. It is perfectly hardy, is