92 Transactions. 



Dimensions. — Length, 0-86-0-96 mm. ; width, 0-65-0-82 mm. ; height 

 of egg-mass. 0-12 mm. 



Sculpture. — Reticulations exceedingly fine, and in many parts of the 

 egg indistinguishable. A lozenge-shaped reticulation covers the shell, and 

 is composed of four-, five-, and six-sided figures, roughly 0-08 mm. by 

 0-03 mm., but very irregular in size and shape ; lengthened in a direction 

 radial from the micropyle. 



Micropyle. — Formed of a rosette of about twelve elongated cells sur- 

 rounded by a band of other and larger elongated cells of hexagonal formation. 

 Situated towards the upper and uncovered end of the ovum. Diameter of 

 rosette, about 0-065 mm. ; diameter of micropyle, about 0-005 mm. (some- 

 times larger). 



Shell. — Flexible ; strong ; highly transparent ; varnished appearance ; 

 slightly roughened within reticulations ; gets much wrinkled as egg matures. 



Colour. — When fresh laid, dull green. # In a few days the green colouring 

 seems to be all absorbed by the embryo, which can be plainly seen, leaving 

 the rest of the egg very transparent. Two small black spots now appear at 

 upper end of egg about 1 mm. apart, and later two small brown areas appear 

 between and slightly above these. The head of the larva now appears, the 

 black spots referred to being its eyes and the brown areas the mandibles. 

 Light-yellowish areas appear within the rest of the egg, and the whole larva 

 can be plainly seen. Infertile eggs quickly collapse and dry up. 



Note. — Laid in batches of about thirty eggs. The egg-batches look as 

 if they were composed of a glutinous substance resembling drops of gum or 

 varnish. The eggs are laid in neat regular rows, but about two-thirds of 

 each egg is covered by its neighbours, the ovum being so placed in relation 

 to the egg-mass that the micropyle is outwards and not covered by other 

 ova. Strongly cemented to food plant and to each other. As the embryo 

 matures an oval depression appears in the upper surface of the egg. The 

 green egg-contents do not reach the outer wall of the ovum, but leave a 

 thin, flat, transparent, slightly serrated margin. Laid in December. Ninety, 

 sixty-three, and forty-three eggs were obtained from different moths. Period 

 of incubation is about eight days in favourable weather. The eggs were 

 always laid on the blue binding of the boxes in which the moths were kept, 

 and were extremely difficult to distinguish. I have found batches of the 

 eggs on the upper surface of the English ivy leaves, but have never come 

 across the larvae. In almost all such cases the eggs were attacked by para- 

 sites. The green colouring of the eggs is naturally one for protection. The 

 larvae emerge from the upper and free end of the egg, and do not eat the 

 egg-shell afterwards. 



(Described, 8th December, 1912.) 



Phloeopola confusella Walk. 



Phloeopola confusella Walk. : Meyr., Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S.W.. 1883, 

 p. 354 ; Meyr., Trans. N.Z. Inst., 43, p. 69. 



I have got two or three specimens of this pretty little moth around 

 Wanganui. It seems to be rare elsewhere. 



^, _ Ovum. Plate I, fig. 4. 



Class. — Jb lat. 



Shape. — Longitudinal section oval ; micropylar end slightly broader 



than its nadir. Transverse section circular; micropylar end flattened, 



base well rounded. 



