258 



THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



plant, and a few upon the gauze covering. From that day until 

 the morning of the 21st no eggs were laid, the weather remaining 

 very dull, without a single gleam of sunshine ; during those 

 three days she remained perfectly still sitting head downwards, 

 in which attitude I invariably found her while resting ; on April 

 21st she again deposited. The following table of dates and 

 number of eggs deposited may be of interest : — 



April 



May 



June 



The female died on June 3rd, having lived in my possession 

 for fifty days, during which time I fed her at frequent intervals, 

 about every other day, according to the weather. From the 

 above table it will be seen that forty was the greatest number of 

 eggs deposited in a single day. Comparatively few were laid 

 during the afternoon, the morning sun being the most suitable. 



In the interesting letter from Mrs. Hutchinson received with 

 the specimen, alluding to V. c-album she remarked, " They will 

 sometimes lay as many as seventy or eighty eggs"; therefore, 

 from the large number this particular female deposited, un- 

 doubtedly it was the full complement of eggs. The ova are laid 

 singly, and principally on the upper surface of the leaf, and 

 generally many upon one leaf. 



The ovum measures in height gV in., is of an elongate 

 spheroid form, smallest at the crown; there are either ten or 

 eleven glassy white longitudinal keels which run from the 

 crown to the base ; they all commence at the edge of the oper- 

 culum, leaving the central portion of the summit bare ; they 

 are highest at the commencement, decreasing in height as 

 they descend and forming merely fine ribs after traversing the 

 upper half, and finally disappearing on reaching the base ; they 

 have the appearance of fluted glass and are of a glistening 



