116 THE EGGS 



most always belong to this group, and they are 

 always vertically ribbed to some extent, but the 

 ribs always terminate short of the centre of the 

 summit, either gently or abruptly. Sometimes 

 these ribs are coarse and irregular, runnino- in zio-- 

 zag lines from base to summit, so that the Qgg 

 might almost be regarded as coarsely reticulate ; 

 in others the ribs are excessively compressed, mere 

 films, placed edgewise to the body of the egg^ glis- 

 tening in the sunshine like dew-drops, and increas- 

 ing in size to the summit, where they often form a 

 sort of crown ; or they may die out on the lower 

 half of the Qgg^ or fade into a weaker reticulation ; 

 or, above, may terminate at the edge of a saucer- 

 like depression which forms the cap of the egg ; 

 but everywhere, with more or less distinctness, be- 

 tween these buttressing ribs, the surface of the egg 

 is broken into quadrangular cells by delicate cross- 

 ridges, which often increase in stoutness toward 

 the main ribs, and in their turn buttress them. 



The spherical forms include particularly the 

 Papilioninae, some Satyrinae and the Hesperini, 

 unless these last more properly belong to the pre- 

 ceding group. They are usually smooth, but may 

 also be reticulated, or, as always in the Hesperini, 

 ribbed. 



