67 



Eggs laid in spnng and early summer usually hatch in a foi-tnight or three 

 weeks, the species also feeding up and passing the winter in the chrysalis state. 



Eggs deposited late in the summer and early aidumn months in two or three 

 weeks produce larva3 which feed up more or less slowly and frequently hybernate. 



While eggs deposited in the latter months of the year do not usually hatch until 

 the following spring. 



It may here be well to mention a few special cases, namely, double-brooded 

 species, of which there are two groups, " spring and summer brooded," and " sum- 

 mer and autumn brooded ; " the eggs of both broods of the former group hatch 

 quickly (in 10 days or so), the larvae feeding up and changing to pupae, in which 

 state the winter is passed ; the eggs of first batch of second group do likewise, but 

 those of the last batch either do not hatch till spring, or hatching the larvoe hy- 

 bernate. Some eggs laid in summer, as for instance those of Cidaria dotata, do not 

 hatch until the following spring ; with other eggs there is sometimes the peculiarity 

 of hatching at intervals, thus those of Ennomos fuscantoHa seem to hatch at inter- 

 vals of two or three days from the end of May to the end of June. Another ck- 

 ceptional case is that of insects which hybernate in the perfect state ; these do not 

 generally lay, or even paii*, until the following spring. 



Of course it stands to reason that eggs are laid daring some period of the 

 lifetime of the parent female, and that, therefore, when a species has been on the 

 wing for some time, or more surely, if it be getting over, it is time to begin to look 

 for the eggs ; but, whereas some species deposit even directly after coi^nlation, 

 others do not lay until a variable, sometimes very considerable, time afterwards. 



The appearance, disposition, and mode of concealment of the eggs of the 

 Lepidoptera are highly interesting points, not only to the egg-hunter, but to every 

 thoughtful observer ; that the eye should become familiarised with the general 

 aspect of these objects as they appear in Nature is of the utmost importance to him 

 who would successfully follow the pursuit of egg-hunting. Probably most of us are 

 acquainted with the appearances of the eggs of many species, as for instance, the 

 conical ridged egg of Pieris Brassicce, the fluted barrel-shaped eggs of Vanessa 

 TJrUco}, the pointed egg of Gonepteryx Rhamni placed singly upon the terminal 

 shoots of buckthorn, the large oval green egg of SmeHnthus Populi deposited singly 

 upon poplar leaves, the masses deposited by Zygcena and Zeuzera, the latter in the 

 chinks of bark, the fast-blackening globules of the female Hepialus HiMrmli as she 

 sows them broadcast, the pearly beads of the Lithosidce and Chelonidce neatly placed 

 in batches, the beautiful egg of A. VilUca being iridescent Uke mother-of-pearl, the 

 ringed egg of the Drinker Moth deposited on blades of grass, the batches of C. Neustria 

 and E. Lanestris arranged spirally round twigs and coated over with protecting var- 

 nish, the colour-changing eggs of Endromis placed in small batches upon the twigs 

 of birch, and of Saturnia on heather bramble and other plants, the somewhat cup- 

 like-looking eggs of Orgyia coating the old cocoon of the neai-ly apterous female, 

 the brown hemispherical eggs of Dicranivra Vinida, and the black drops of its 

 smaller congeners Bifida and Fv/rcula firmly fixed by their bases in groups of twos 

 and threes upon the upper sides of the leaves of willow and poplar, the pale drop- 

 like eggs of the Notodontida; sparsely scattered upon the leaves of their special food- 

 plants, the ragged egg of D. Caruleocephala, the neatly placed brick-shaped eggs of 



