20 



Colours Yellow and Black. 



tumn. In about a fortnight after the change to chrysalis takes place, the moths begin to 

 make their appearance. The male which comes forth from a chrys-lis not more than about 

 half the size ut that which produces the female, {d fig. 16 shows the chrysalis of the male, c 

 that of the female), is a very pretty winged moth, see fig. 1.5, (alter Kiley), Its 

 antennae are beautifully feathered or pectinate, and its wings are dark 

 brown, with a white spot on each front wing near the inner hind angle. 

 When at rest its outline is heart-shaped, and its long front feet heavily 

 clothed with hairs and scales are tlirust forward to their full length. Very 

 difi^erent indeed in appearance is his mate ; the female is wingless or fur- 

 nished with but the merest rudiments of wings which no one would 

 observe without the closest inspection, she is represented at fig 16 

 resting on the cocoon from which she rarely moves more than a few 

 inches. There she waits the attendance of the male after which the 

 process of egg depositing begins. Dr. Fitch says that the eggs are ex- 

 truded in a continuous string wLich is folded 

 and matted together so as to form an irregular 

 mass which is glued to the top of the cocoon ; 

 on removing this mass of eggs from its place 

 of attachment, the surface of the cocoon ap- 

 pears covered with fragments of a transpar- 

 ent gelatinous-looking substance, which has 

 evidently been applied in a fluid state. The 

 bottom layer of eges will usually number one 

 hundred or more, and their interstices are 

 well filled with this same gelatinous material, 

 which adheres fo strongly to the eggs that 

 when the nest is torn open, they cannot be separated without bringing away portions of this 

 substance firmly attached. Another irregular layer of eggs is placed on this, then a third, and 

 sometimes a fourth before the total number is exhausted, and through the whole of these the 

 gelatinous matte: io so placed as to secure every egg, not by its being imbedded in a solid mass, 

 but surrounded by the material worked into a spongy or frothy state. Over all is a heavy layer 

 of the same, with a nearly smooth greyish white surface, the whole number of eggs being so 

 placed as to present a convex surface to the weather which effectually prevents the lodgment 

 of any water on it. 



Within this enclosure from 375 to 500 eggs are securely pla/jed. We have counted the 

 contents of several and 375 is the lowest and 500 the highest number we have found. The 

 egg is nearly globular, flattened at the upper side, not perceptibly hollowed, with a dark 

 paint on the centre of the flattened portion surrounded by a dusky halo. Its surface is 

 smooth under a magnifying power of 45 diameters, but when submitted to a higher power, 

 appears lightly punctured with minute dots. Its colour is uniformly white to the unaided 

 vision, but the microscope reveals a ring of dusky yellow surrounding it immediately below 

 the flattened portion. Its diameter is 4-f, of an inch. 



A careless observer seeing a dead leaf here and there upon his trees might readily con- 

 ceive that they were blown into the position they occupied by accident, and retained there by 

 threads of spiders' webs or something of that sort, but a closer examination will furnish food 

 for thought, in the wise arrangements made by the parent moth, in providing for the safety ' 

 of her future oflFspring, and at the same time m:iy well excite alarm in the mind of the fruit 

 grower when he perceives promise of the approaching birth of such a horde of hungry caterpil- 

 lars as even one of these egg masses will produce. 



Early in June these eggs begin to hatch and continue to hatch on different trees 

 for several weeks. During the past season we found the larva* about half an inch long 

 on the 3rd of July, and by the 22nd, some specimens were nearly full grown. There 

 must, however, have been earlier larvas than these wliich escaped notice, for on the SOth of 

 July we found a freshly hatched cluster of young larvie belonging to the second brood. 

 The cocoon had been made and the eggs laid between two young green leaves of a pear tree, 

 the following description was taken the day after. 



Length one eighth of an inch. Head, reddish brown slightly bilobcd, dotted with black 

 on the sides. Body above, yellowish green, semi-transparent, dotted and spotted with dark 



