The Life-History and Anatomy of Moths 
until it has attained the degree of maturity which permits it 
to hatch, or come forth in the first larval stage. The eggs 
of moths have various forms. Spherical, hemispherical, cylin¬ 
drical, and lenticular, or lens-shaped eggs 
are common. The eggs of the Cochlidiidce, or 
Slug-moths, are broad and very flat, looking 
like microscopic pancakes. The surfaces of 
the eggs of moths are seen under a micro- 
scope to be more or less ornamented by Peridroma saucia , 
raised lines and sculpturings. While in some greatly enl arged. 
cases the eggs of moths are beautifully spotted and mottled, they 
are generally quite plain in color, white, pale green, bluish- 
green, or brown. Like the eggs of butterflies, they are provided 
with a micropyle. The micropyle, in the case of such eggs as 
are globular, conical, or cylindrical, is situated on top. In the 
case of those eggs which are flattened or lenticular, the micro¬ 
pyle is located on the outer margin or rim. 
The eggs are always laid by the female in a state of freedom 
upon that food-plant which is most congenial to the larva. In 
captivity moths will often deposit their eggs 
in the receptacle in which they are con¬ 
fined. In such cases, unless the observer 
knows the food-plant upon which the 
species feeds, he will be apt to have great 
difficulty in rearing the larvae, unless by a 
happy chance he succeeds experimentally 
in ascertaining the proper plant. This may 
sometimes be done by introducing the 
leaves of a number of plants found in the neighborhood and 
observing those to which the young caterpillars resort. 
The date of oviposition varies with different families and 
genera. Some moths deposit their eggs in the fall and the young 
insect passes the winter in the egg, emerging when the early 
springtime brings opening flowers and leaves. Some moths 
lay their eggs in the late summer and early fall; the eggs hatch 
shortly afterward, and the larvae, after molting one or more 
times, hibernate in the caterpillar state, and in the following 
spring resume the process of feeding and molting until such 
time as they are ready to undergo further transformation. Most 
Fig. 3.—Egg of Samia 
cecropia , greatly 
enlarged. 
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