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libs are garrisoned with her eggs ranged in the prettiest rows ; the eggs 

 are very long and are placed lengthwise, end to end, like oblong beads 

 on a string, yet not touching, for there is generally a space of about 

 half an egg's length between each two. The eggs are very soft and 

 of a half-transparent white colour. After the first day the eggs begin 

 to grow, and before the end of a week they have grown to three times 

 their original size : the head of the egg is always towards the tip of 

 the leaf and is distinguished by having two black eyes, placed very 

 far apart, and quite on the sides, indeed so far asunder are these eyes, 

 that, like the behind buttons of the coat of a certain illustrious coach- 

 man immortalized by Dickens, it is very difficult to bring them both 

 into the same field of view. 



It is seldom more than a week before the gi'ub makes his exit from 

 the eggs, and entrance into active life, but the period is not a constant 

 one, varying from four to twelve days ; he comes out head foremost, 

 his head, by the way, like that of most young animals, being of an un- 

 seemly size : his body is nearly transparent, but just tinged with smoke 

 colour ; the eyes so conspicuous in the egg still being very observable, 

 but as the head becomes darker these gradually disappear. The grub is 

 ready to begin eating directly, so crawling down from the rib he com- 

 mences operations on the fleshy part of the leaf, in which he gnaws a 

 little round hole. Immediately after making his first meal, the green 

 of the leaf communicates its colour to his body and he is forthwith a 

 green, instead of a smoke-coloured grub, but still so transparent, that 



the particles he has eaten show 

 through his skin as a green line 

 down the middle of his body, and 

 it is this green line which tinges all 

 the other parts. The little grubs 

 descend from the rib in equal num- 

 bers, right and left, leaving the 

 skins of the eggs attached to the 

 rib, and looking Uke a row of emp- 

 ty silver purses. The depreda- 

 tions are now visible above, from 

 the sudden appearance of small 

 round holes ranged in irregu- 

 lar rows: in each of these holes 

 one of the tiny gluttons may be 

 seen clasping the eaten part of the 

 leaf between his legs and elevating the end of his body in the air. 



