198 BULLKTIN 157. 



Most writers who mention the eggs, state that they are laid in 

 small clusters on the leaves. Consequently, as soon as we saw 

 the beetles in copulation in May, a careful search was made for 

 eggs on what few leaves had then expanded. We found none, 

 and failed to find any on the leaves in 1898 at Ithaca, N. Y., the 

 few found June 15th, were among the hairs on the stem of a leaf. 

 Our observations indicate that most of the eggs are laid before 

 but few, if an}', leaves have expanded. We finally found the 

 eggs in the place shown in figure 17. Most of them were tucked 

 into a crack of the outer bark at the base of the buds, many 

 were scattered in any crevice which afforded room on the base 

 of the bud, and a few were found in the cavit}^ which the beetles 

 had eaten in a bud. These observations agree with those 

 recorded by Perkins in 1878. But Comstock reports in 1880 that 

 "the eggs are laid in irregular clumps of four or five, more or less, 

 both upon the upper and under sides of the leaf. Rarely a few 

 eggs are to be found upon the unopened buds, and the beetles, if 

 caught early in the season and kept in confinement, wnll oviposit 

 profusely upon an}' substance whatsoever." 



The long, oval shape of the eggs is well shown in figure 17. They are of 

 a darkish straw color (very near Ridgeway's saffron and buff yellow) and 

 average .65 mm. (.03 inch) in length. Their surface presents a dull, 

 roughened appearance, but we were soon surprised to find that this rough 

 exterior layer often cracked open and partially peeled off the egg ; this is 

 shown on several of the eggs in figure 17. We found that by a little care- 

 ful manipulation with a needle, this rough layer could be entirely scraped 

 off from an egg. Whether this layer is a part of the shell of the egg or 

 simply a protective coating secreted over the egg, we did not determine ; 

 it was so regular in thickness and presents such a shell like appearance on 

 the outside, that it would seem to be a part of the egg-shell. Its peeling 

 off is a curious phenomenon which we have not before encountered in our 

 study of insects. Beneath this rough coating the egg is smooth and of a 

 shinv, light lemon-yellow color. 



HoW' long the egg stage lasts, we did not determine, and the 

 only statement we have found regarding it is by Perkins, who 

 says that ' ' they hatch in about three weeks. ' ' Doubtless 

 climatic changes influence the duration of the egg-stage some- 

 what. x\t Ithaca, N. Y., the eggs had just begun to hatch on 

 May 27th, 1898 ; the first leaves had just expanded. 



