First part of L. Trouvelot's article on native North American silk-producing moths, published in the first issue of the American Naturalist (1867). It surveys eight or ten American species and judges which could yield usable silk, concluding that only Telea Polyphemus is practical. Trouvelot recounts his efforts since 1860 to raise the Polyphemus worm, then describes the moth's natural history: emergence from the cocoon, wing development, egg-laying, hatching and moulting. The text breaks off with 'To be continued'.

Second installment of L. Trouvelot's article on the American silk worm, Telea (Antheraea) polyphemus, from the first volume of American Naturalist. It covers larval growth and food consumption, cocoon spinning, the pupa, the silk reservoirs ("gut"), natural enemies such as birds and ichneumon parasites, and descriptions of the larva, pupa and egg. It ends with practical instructions for selecting and storing cocoons, hatching the moths, pairing, and rearing the young larvae on oak and other foliage. The article is continued in a later issue.

The concluding part of L. Trouvelot's article on rearing the American silk worm (Telea polyphemus) in the United States. It describes raising larvae outdoors in netted woodland and under a screened shade, with practical advice on feeding branches, moulting, water and cocoon handling. It also reports experiments on the cold tolerance of chrysalids, whether the pupa needs air (cocoons coated with starch and shellac), the impossibility of a second brood, and delaying hatching by cold storage. Two plates show the female and male moths.