Paper, 'Of the nature of silk as it is made in Piedmont [Italy]' by William Aglionby Aglionby explains how the quality of silk depends on the nourishment of the silkworms (Bombyx mori), suggesting the therefore 'the chief dependance [sic] is on a happy spring', which will provide tender leaves for the silkworms to eat. He goes on to provide instructions for identifying the quality and measuring the weight of silk. Subject: Zoology / Entomology Published in Philosophical Transactions as 'Of the nature of silk as it is made in Piedmont' Read to the Royal Society on 24 May 1699 May 1699