122 



THIRD ANNUAL REPORT OF 



<§ 



[ Fi »- 52 -3 pleted, she commences another — 



and not before. AVith each egg is 

 secreted a brown varnish which 

 firmly fastens it to the twig and 

 to its neighbor, and which, upon 

 becoming dry, forms a carinated 

 net-work of brown over the pale 

 egg-shell. These eggs are so regu- 

 larly laid and so closely glued to 

 each other, and the sides are often 

 so appressed, that the moth econo- 

 mizes space almost as effectually as does the Honey-bee in the forma- 

 tion of its hexagonal cells. In confinement the moth very seldom 

 succeeds in forming a perfect ring, but in her abortive attempts, 

 deposits them in different sized patches ; and as I have found such 

 unfinished patches attached to an oak leaf out-of-doors, we may con- 

 clude that either from injury or debility of some kind, the parent's 

 instinct sometimes fails it even when all the conditions are normal 

 and natural. 



The eggs are deposited, in the latitude of St. Louis, during the 

 latter part of June. The embryo develops during the hot summer 

 weather, and the yet unborn larva is fully formed by the time winter 

 comes on. The young hatch with the first warm weather in spring — 

 generally from the middle to the last of March — and though the buds 

 of their food-plant may not have opened at the time, and though it may 

 freeze severely afterwards, yet these little creatures are wonderfully 

 hardy, and can fast for three whole weeks, if need be, and with- 

 stand any amount of inclement weather. The very moment these 

 little larva3 are born, they commence spinning a web wherever 

 they go. At this time they are black with pale hairs, and are 

 always found either huddled together or traveling in file along 

 the silken paths which they form when in search of food. In about 

 [Fig. 53.] two weeks from the time they commence feeding they go 

 ////, through their first moult, having first grown paler or of a 

 ^V;,' light yellowish brown, with the extremities rather darker 

 §<v^ than the middle of the body, with the little warts which give 

 ^IffF— r * se ^° * ne h a i rs quite distinct, and a conspicuous dark inter- 

 rupted line each side of the back. After the first moult, 

 they are characterized principally by two pale yellowish 

 subdorsal lines, which border what was before, the dark 

 line above described. After the second moult, which takes 

 place in about a week from the first, the characteristic 

 |ipale spots on the back appear, the upper pale line becomes 

 jj yellow, the lower one white, and the space between them 

 ^ bluish : indeed, the characters of the mature larva are from 

 \l^ this period apparent. Very soon they undergo a third moult, 

 after which the colors all become more distinct and fresh 



