65 



With this preliminary explanation I will proceed to inflict upon 

 you my notes 



On some British Lepidopterous Ova laid wild. 



Pieris brassiccE lays her ova in batches of varying size, and 

 anyone who cares to take the trouble to turn over the cabbage 

 leaves in a field or garden can easily find them on the under-surface. 

 The ova are golden -yellow in colour, upright, spindle-shaped, with 

 prominent sculpture consisting of fifteen longitudinal ribs 

 connected with a large number of horizontal rungs and finished oft" 

 around the point or micropylar area with a ring of rather paler 

 colour. They are about l-lmm. high and •■imm. wide at the point 

 of greatest girth. 



A female, which I found commencing to oviposit under a seakale 

 leaf in the middle of May, had gone twenty minutes later, and left 

 a batch of 49 ova. I have also found these ova on nasturtium 

 leaves and those of other plants of a similar nature, always 

 underneath. 



Pieris rajxr'Oslso lays her ova under the leaves of Cmcifertr, but 

 singly and not in batches, though several may be found on the 

 same leaf. When fresh laid they are transparent greenish- white, 

 but soon turn a waxy-yellow. Similar to P. braadcw in shape, but 

 blunter and with only nine longitudinal ribs. Their height is 

 about 1mm., and width •4mm. 



Pieris napi lays her ova, no doubt, on many kinds of plants, but 

 I have personally always found them on the leaves and stalks of 

 the common hedge mustard in late May and early June ; usually 

 underneath a leaf and laid singly. They are white when newly 

 laid, with a greenish tinge, turning yellowish, and finally almost 

 slaty. In shape similar to P. rapcB with fifteen longitudinal ribs, 

 of which not more than nine extend the whole way up to 

 the micropylar area. Height 1-lmm., maximum width •4mm. 



KucJilu'e cardaiiiines. — This ovum will probably be one of the first 

 to be found in the wild by those who are suflSciently interested to 

 look for it. Prominent plants of hedge mustard growing in country 

 lanes are almost certain to have one or more on them in late May 

 or early June. They are usually laid on the young seed-pod or 

 fiower-stalk near the top of the plant, singly and upright, standing 

 out at right angles with the supporting base. When freshly laid 

 the colour is greenish-white, turning quickly to orange, and just 

 before the larva emerges they become almost black. The shape is 

 typically pierid, i.e., spindle-shaped, with about thirteen bold longi- 



