THE EGG 19 



of the year. In sonie eases they are deposited eariy in the sjirin^', 

 even before the buds of the food plants have burst ; and the young 

 larviB, hatched a few weeks later, couimence to feed on the young 

 and tender leaves. Then, throughout the late spring, the whole of 

 the summer and autumn, and even till the winter frosts set in, the 

 eggs of various species are being laid. 



Those deposited during the warm weather are often hatched in 

 a few days, but those laid toward the autiuun remain unchanged 

 until the following spring. 



In this latter case the frosts of the most severe ^\'intcr are not 

 capable of destroying the vitality of the eggs. In many instances 

 the j)erfect insect or the larva would be killed by the temperature 

 of an average winter day, but the vitality of the eggs is such that 

 they have been subjected to a temperature, artificially produced, of 

 fift^f degrees below the freezing point, and even after this the \ ouiig 

 larvae walked out of their cradles at their appointed time just as if 

 nothing unusual had occurred. 



Experiments have also been performed on tlie eggs with a view 

 of determining how far their vitality is inlluenced by high tempera- 

 tures. "We know that the scorching midsummer sun has no 

 destructive inHuence on them, but these experiments jirove that 

 thej' are not influenced by a temperature only twenty degrees behiw 

 the boiling point — actually a considerably liigher temperature than 

 is yiccciadri/ to properly cook a hen's egg. 



Let xis now examine a number of eggs of different species, that 

 we maj' note some of the many variations in form and colour. 



With regard to colour, we have already observed that the eggs 

 of a few species are black ; but uiore commonly thej- are much 

 lighter — pearly white, green, yellow, and grey being of fre<p:ent 

 occurrence. 



The great variety of form, however, will provide a ^ ast amount 

 of enjoyment to anyone who possesses a good magnifxing lens or 

 a small compound microscope. Some are globular, others oval ; 

 while many others represent cups, basins, and domes. Then we 

 have miniature vases, flasks, bottles with short necks, and nume- 

 rous tigiu'es that must remind a juvenile admirer of the sweet 

 cakes and ornamental jellies that have so often gladdened his 

 longing eyes. 



Again, the beautifully sculptured surfaces of a large number are 

 even more striking than their general shapes. Some are regularly 

 ribbed fi-om top to bottom with parallel or radiating ridges, and at 



c2 



