298 



THK KNTOMOLOGIST. 



depositing the 336 eggs. Another female died on June 4th ; the 

 third one died on June 22nd. On June 27th 100 more eggs 

 were deposited in batches ; these were the last eggs laid. The 

 following day another female died, and on June 30th the last one 

 succumbed, having lived in my possession exactly three months 

 (eighty -four days). 



From the above it will be seen that this species deposits its 

 eggs in two or three or even more batches, averaging from about 

 150 to 250 eggs in a batch. When a stout stem is selected for 

 the eggs, the batch does not encircle it, but only covers that por- 

 tion (generally about half the circumference, and always on' the 

 under side) which the abdomen can cover with the ovipositor. 

 These five females laid over 2000 eggs— as well as I could count 

 them, I found there were about 2200 ; therefore the complement 

 of eggs laid by antiopa numbers between 400 and 500. When 

 resting these butterflies usually clustered together at the top of 

 the gauze covering the plant. 



The egg measures ^^^ in. high, of an oblong form, and having, 

 as a rule, eight, but occasionally nine, longitudinal keels, com- 

 mencing below the summit, and rising prominently ; they then 

 gradually decrease in height, and disappear before reaching the 

 base ; they are fluted, and resemble white frosted glass ; the 

 spaces between the keels are slightly concaved, and very finely 

 fluted transversely, the ridges being extremely fine. The micro- 

 pyle is slightly raised in the centre, and is finely granulated ; 

 near the base the surface is faintly ridged longitudinally; the base 

 is firmly embedded in glutinous substance. The colour when first 

 laid is a rather deep ochreous yellow, inclining to olive-yellow, 

 which very gradually deepens to an olive-brown to the naked eye ; 

 but when viewed under the microscope the whole surface presents 

 a finely mottled appearance, resembling in pattern crocodile- 

 skin, the ground colour being amber-brown, with light amber- 

 yellow reticulations ; this pattern is under the shell. When 

 about fourteen days old one batch of eggs had changed to a deep 

 lilac-red, approaching indian-red, and on the eighteenth day had 

 assumed a deep leaden grey, and hatched on the 21st. Other 

 batches did not attain such a deep red colour, the normal change 

 of colouring being from a deep ochreous-yellow and olive-brown 

 to a deep red-brown ; then the larva begins to show under the 

 shell, exhibiting a pale ochreous body and dark brown head, 

 which gradually turns to black ; the shell is then of a glistening 

 pearl-grey. To the naked eye the entire batch appears of 

 a beautiful silver-grey-blue just before hatching. The larva 

 begins making its exit by nibbling tiny holes in a circle 

 round the crown of the egg; this continues until it is com- 

 pletely cut round ; then it pushes off the cap and emerges. It 

 immediately starts spinning a carpet of silk as it crawls away, 

 spinning as it goes, crawling to the extremity of the branch. 



