The Crioceres 



well? I now know all about it: there is no 

 noviciate, there are no clumsy attempts; the 

 workmanship is perfect from the outset, the 

 product ejected spreads over the hinder part. 

 Let me tell you what I saw. 



The eggs are laid in May, on the under 

 surface of the leaves, in short trails avera- 

 ging from three to six. They are cylindrical, 

 rounded at both ends, of a bright orange- 

 red, glossy and varnished with a glutinous 

 wash which makes them stick to the leaves 

 throughout their length. The hatching 

 takes ten days. The shell of the egg, now a 

 little wrinkled, but still of a bright orange 

 colour, retains its position, so that the group 

 of eggs, apart from its slightly withered ap- 

 pearance, remains just as it was. 



The young larva measures a millimetre 

 and a half ' in length. The head and legs 

 are black, the rest of the body a dull amber- 

 red. On the first segment of the thorax is 

 a brown sash, interrupted in the middle; 

 lastly, there is a small black speck on each 

 side, behind the third segment. This is the 

 initial costume. Presently orange-red will 

 take the place of the pale amber. The tiny 

 creature, which is exceedingly fat, sticks to 

 the leaf with its short legs and also with its 



* .959 inch. — Translator's Note, 

 415 



