404 COTTON 



towards the end of the season. The favourite situation 

 on the boll, for the deposition of the egg or eggs, is 

 in one of the grooves near the apex. They are also 

 deposited on the sides of the fruit and on various parts 

 of the involucre. 



In the case of squares they are laid on the involucre, 

 frequently on the teeth. When vegetative buds are 

 chosen the eggs are placed on the small leaves. 



Opposition on other Plants. In the case of tehl 

 (Hibiscus cannabinus) and bamiah (H. esculentus), the 

 eggs are laid on the fruits and flower buds. The writer 

 has sometimes found as many as twenty eggs and egg- 

 shells on a single small fruit of the latter plant. On the 

 garden hibiscus (H. rosa-sinensis) the females oviposit 

 on the flower buds and in the axils of the leaves. 



Time of Oviposition. Egg-laying takes place during 

 the night. Probably the females commence to oviposit 

 at dusk between intervals of feeding, as they are very- 

 active on the wing at this time. The moths have never 

 been noticed flying about during the daytime, except, of 

 course, when they have been disturbed from their day 

 retreats; they will then only fly a short distance and 

 quickly settle again. 



Number of Eggs laid and Length of Egg-laying Period. 

 It has not been possible to obtain sufficient data on this 

 subject to make any definite statement as to the total, 

 or average number of eggs, which a female of this 

 species is capable of producing. A female which was 

 kept under observation in the laboratory in September, 

 and supplied with food in the form of cane-sugar syrup, 

 laid on five consecutive nights a total of 233 eggs. On 

 the first night 96 were deposited on the food plants and 

 various parts of the cage; on the second 58, on the third 

 49, on the fourth 19, and on the fifth and last night only 

 ii were laid. 



In this instance the egg-laying period only lasted five 

 nights, but in the case of some females which were bred 

 and kept under observation in December, 1904, it was 

 very much further extended, although the total number 

 of eggs laid in each case was considerably less than the 

 above female gave rise to. This may be accounted for 



