10 



it into every small hole and crevice, and should the place 

 suit her natural initinct each time it is thrust in an egg is 

 deposited A very singular instance of this lately occurred 

 to me. A pretty moth called the Brindle Beauty Biston 

 Eirtaria was confined in a box, from which, the previous 

 year, a brood of the larvse of ,the Poplar Hawk had come 

 out, leaving the empty shells attached to the under surface 

 of the top ; in the course of the night she deposited a beau- 

 tiful green egg in each of the little vacant cells. In a fort- 

 night these were hatched, and the two sets of empty shells 

 are on the table for your inspection. 



Eggs vary much in form — some are oblong, some square, 

 some round, many most beautifully ribbed with from six to 

 over forty ribs longitudinally arranged side by side ; these 

 ribs are also frequently crenulated and have an exquisite 

 opaline appearance under the common microscope. The 

 color of eggs also varies much — some have various tints of 

 green, some chocolate, some flesh colour, some pure white 

 with every intermediate tone, and others are black. Some 

 of these eggs are laid singly on a tree or plant, others on 

 separate leaves, others in clusters on leaves or around the 

 stem. These latter when hatched live together in a colony 

 until nearly full grown, when they separate and wander 

 away for their fiual repasts and ultimate changes into the 

 pupa or chrysalite state. 



In selecting places for depositing their eggs, I beg of you 

 to ponder and reflect for one moment upon the marvellous 

 principle implanted by an AUwise and Almighty hand in 

 the bosoms of these poor little female insects, that leads them 

 with uuerring solicitude to deposit them in such places and 

 upon such trees only, as when after many days or many 

 months of repose the tiny larva finally eats its way out of 

 its imprisoned cell, to find its natural food at hand, and in 

 a fit state for its supply ; the time the egg may lie dormant 

 varies from a few days to very many months. 



All animal life springs from life, and all life has its 

 origin in an egg ; this egg may be hatched within the body 

 TThen the young come into the world a type of their parent. 



