52 N.S. ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



Fifth Instar. — Length after moulting 12 mm.-15 mm. Head 1.58 mm.-1.62 mm. 

 wide; all markings, etc., similar to previous instar. After the fourth moult the larvae 

 feed ravenously and grow rapidly, attaining a length of 20mm.-25mm. when mature 

 and ready to enter the ground. The general color of the majority at this stage is 

 brownish black, but a few remain from light to dark green. For length of life stages 

 see accompanying chart. 



THE COCOON. 



When full grown and ready to pupate the larva spins down from the tree on which 

 it has been feeding to the ground where it seeks a suitable place, burrows down to a depth 

 of l 1 to 4 inches, and makes a small earthen cocoon in which the last moult occurs and 

 the insect transforms to the pupa. The period from the time tne larva entered the 

 ground until the last moult was cast was from three to four days. 



The Male Coccon is somewhat smaller than that of the female, being an earthen 

 cell composed of fine closely spun silken fibre to which particles of soil adhere on the out- 

 side. The> vary somewhat in shape, some being spherical others elongate. Length 

 10 mm.-llmm. width 5 mm.-6 mm. 



The Female Cocoon in its compositon and structure is similar in every respect 

 to that of the male except in size. Length 13 mm. -14mm., width 7mm.-8mm. 



THE PLPA 



Both male and female pupae are somewhat oval in shape, color yellowish brown 

 at first turning to a darker brown later. Dorsal and ventral surfaces more or less smooth 

 and shining. 



The Male Pupa is 8mm.-9mm. in length; 3mm.-3.5mm. in width at the widest 

 part. On the ventral surface the wing-pads extend to two thirds of the total length; the 

 eyes, antennae and legs may also be discerned. 



The Female Pupa is 9 mm.-9.5 mm. long, 4 mm.-4.5 mm. in width, rather stouter 

 than the male. The wing pads extend to scarcely more than half the total length. The 

 eyes, antennae and legs are plainly visible. 



THE ADULT. 



Th" male moth usually emerges first. The females on emerging start crawling up 

 the trunks of the trees where copulation takes place, lasting from one to six hours. 

 After the female has been fertilized she continues her ascent up the tree to the smaller 

 branches and twigs where egg deposition takes place. The number of eggs laid by a 

 single female vary from seventy five to one hundred and fifty, the average from seven 

 females that deposited separately in the laboratory being one hundred and twelve. 



In cases of severe infestation a female frequently deposits her eggs adjacent to 

 those laid by other females, making it appear as one large cluster containing several 

 hundred eggs. On the other hand a female moth will sometimes deposit her eggs in sev- 

 eral small clusters. The egg laying period lasts from one to two days, the most being 

 deposited the first day, very few, if any, the second. During the period of deposition 

 the female moth shrivels up from one half to one third the original size. In the case of a 

 female not being fertilized, she will lay a few sterile eggs singly or in small bunches and 

 then drop to the ground and die. 



The maximum emergence of the adults, providing the weather keeps mild well on 

 toward the end of November, would be from the fifteenth to the twentieth, but, as pre- 

 viously mentioned, the emergence on December the twenty-fourth and twenty-fifth 

 was as great as at any time previous. 



