The Peach-Tree Borer. 193 



over every portion of the trunk, and even on the lower branches, 

 touching lier abdomen constantly to the surface. She was engaged 

 in that way two hours and more. On examination, he found the eggs 

 laid in all sorts of places, without special selection, singly or in groups, 

 the greatest number found together being ten, wdiile in several places 

 three or four were observed together." Smith then states that in his 

 own examinations he found that " as a rule the eggs were laid singly, 

 and most of them within six inches of the soil. None were found 

 at the immediate surface, althongh this point was particularly^ exam- 

 ined. They were found more scattered higher up the trunk, and, 

 as a rule, few above from twelve to eighteen inches. Groups of 

 three or four were occasionally observed, and in one instance I 

 found nine within a space of half a square inch. A few eggs were 

 scattered up to a height of five feet, and on one tree I found some 

 on the main branches. It may be justly said, however, that above 

 eighteen inches from the surface the eggs were " scattering." They 

 were laid apparently without selection of locality ; some on the per- 

 fectly smooth bark, some among the lichens covering the trees in 

 parts and some among the bark scales. No one locality seemed to 

 be especially selected, and it seemed rather a haphazard seeding 

 down, the moth depending rather upon the number of eggs laid 

 than any method of protection. As to the number on a single tree, 

 I cut out twenty that were most convenient, observed at least as 

 many more without close examination, and feel safe in asserting 

 that more than fifty were then present within eighteen inches of 

 the surface." 



Smith further states that " the length of time during which the 

 insect remains in the egg state is not yet accurately determined. 

 Mr. Walker has found larvae just hatched beneath the empty egg- 

 shells about ten days after observing the moths ovipositing, and 

 believes that to be near the actual period. Dr. L. O. Howard 

 informs me that their records indicate seven to eight days." 



How long it takes a female to lay her quota of eggs, if she does 

 lay all of them, is not known. Probably most of the eggs are laid 

 in July and August in New York. 



Hahits of the neioly-hatGhed holder. — Comstock (1880) states that 

 " the young larvae when first hatched are very active and have many 

 i3 



