LIFE-HISTORIES. 



389 



Eggs of Lepidoptera. — On June 1st Mr. Sloper sent some butterfly 

 eggs from Aigie. Unfortimately, by the time Mr. Tutt had received 

 them and forwarded them to me (June 5th) they had hatched. The 

 only notes that could be made were as follows : — 



Ctipido sehnis. — Three empty shells — two broken too much for 

 description — laid on calyx of a bud (indeterminable). The perfect 

 shell broken by emergence of larva at end opposite to micropyle. 

 Ovum — circular, viewed from above — flattened from above down- 

 wards like shallow band-box. Vertical axis -Bmm., horizontal axis 

 •525mm, Surface honey-combed, giving a rough tuberculated appear- 

 ance on edge. About four foveae to -ISmm. Micropyle considerably 

 depressed — in a basin, with very fine reticulations at the bottom. 

 Diameter •075mm. — circular, with rough edge from reticulations of 

 surface. [Note by Mr. Sloper stating that these were laid on 

 May 31st.] 



('olia^ hjialc. — Examined — half ovum, empty shell, pale straw- 

 coloured — flask-shaped without neck. Vertical axis l-35mm., hori- 

 zontal axis — -at apex •15mm., at middle •525mm., at base •375mm. 

 By calculation from pai't — 8 vertical lines from apex to base, about 

 •15mm. apart, united by fine transverse lines, parallel and regular, 

 about five lines in each •15mm. [Too much broken for further 

 description. Note by Mr. Sloper says that it was laid on the morning 

 of June 1st] . — W. S. Eiding, M.D., Buckerell Lodge, Honiton. 

 June 5tJt, 1904. 



Sati/riis hei-mione. — The egg is almost a sphere of just over 1mm. 

 in diameter. Actually the height is ^-^ greater than the horizontal 

 diameter, and there is a narrowing upwards above the equator that is 

 just detectable. Height l^lmm., width 1^05mm., base hardly flattened. 

 There are 22 vertical ribs, secondary ribs are too faint to be detected 

 if they exist. The ribs are not very sharp, the furrows are smooth and 

 regular, and about 0-024ram. deep. The micropylar area has various 

 wavy ridges smaller than the ribs, but happens to be somewhat obscured 

 by scales, etc. The surface of the q^^ is dull opaque, and of a dirty 

 yellowish chalky tint. [ ? captured at Aix-les-Bains, August 23rd, 

 1900, described September 4th, 1900.] 



Acidalia stn'naria. — Of typical Geometrid form. Length •48mra., 

 width •34mm., thickness •26mm. at thick end, •2mm. at thin end, as 

 to the width, or rather the outline when looking down on the egg, the 

 widest part is rather nearer the small end, whence the outline is a 

 regular curve, towards the large end it does not narrow so rapidly, and 

 the end is rather flatter. Remarkable from the boldness and knobbed 

 character of the ribs, the longitudinal ribs are about 20 in number 

 with little or no anastomosis. Each rib is separated from its neighbour 

 by a distinct groove faintly marked by secondary ribs. The secondary ribs 

 are, however, strongly illustrated by each having on the primary rib a 

 distinct knob or mammilla, of which there are 15 or 16 on the length 

 of the rib. At the thick end, and similarly, but less strongly, at the 

 small end, these mammillae are very large. The arrangement is not 

 dissimilar to that on the egg of A. imnwrata, viz., arranged in an engine- 

 turned pattern. Above the last knob on a rib, the next knob occurs in an 

 interspace (supposing the line of the rib continued) the next alternate 

 again with these, so that they are arranged on a square pattern, to the 

 extent of four or five rows, centrally they are smaller, more irregular 



