THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 153 



circumstance they would never attain a serviceable size. It is necessary 

 that a position should be secured where the wings may hang down as 

 they are expanding, for which purpose the under side of a twig is often 

 selected ; and here, securely suspended by the claws, the wings undergo 

 in a short time the most marvellous growth it is possible to imagine. The 

 whole process, from the time of the escape of the moth to its full maturity, 

 seldom occupies more than from half an hour to an hour, and during this 

 time the wings grow from the diminutive size already mentioned to their 

 full measure and capacity. 



A wing clipped from the insect immediately after its escape, and 

 examined under the microscope, reveals the fact that the thousands and 

 tens of thousands of scales with which the wings are covered, and which 

 afterwards assume such beautiful feather-like forms, are now nearly all 

 threadlike, not folded up or wrinkled, but undeveloped. Impressed with 

 this thought, the mind is fairly astonished at the almost incredible change 

 wrought in so limited a time, for the growth embraces not only the exten- 

 sion of the surface of the wing, but the enlargement and maturity of every 

 scale or feather on it, the individuals of which are but as dust to the naked 

 eye. AYhat a wonderful and intricate system of circulation and power of 

 nutrition must be possessed to accomplish this marvellous result ! 



As some of our readers may not be familiar with the appearance of 

 this our largest moth, we append a figure of it. (See fig. 32). Soon after 

 their exit these moths seek their mates, and after pairing, the female begms 

 to deposit her eggs, a process which occupies some time, for the eggs 

 are not laid in patches or groups, but singly; and are firmly fastened with a 

 glutinous material to the under side of a leaf; and as it is seldom there, 

 are more than one or two laid on any single tree or bush, a considerable 

 distance must be traversed by the parent in the transaction of this all- 

 important business. 



Until the present season, I never had an opportunity of fairly com- 

 puting the number of eggs which one of these moths will lay, and had 

 roughly estimated them in my own mind at from 50 to 100. About the 

 first ot June, a pair of cecropias came into my possession, and afforded a 

 favourable opportunity of throwing light on this point. On the 3rd of 

 June, the female began to deposit eggs, which she continued to do at 

 intervals until the 6th, and in a few days afterwards, died. On counting 

 the eggs I found them to number 217. When we consider the relative size 

 — for they are large — it may readily be imagined, that the size of the body 

 of the moth, was much reduced upon the completion of her task. The 



