LIFE-HISTORIES. 299 
when first laid, surface very shiny, and (with a two-thirds used as a 
hand lens) looks almost smooth; a faint reticulation, however, is 
visible, but a higher power is needed to make out the nature thereof. 
(Described August 4th, 1899, from eggs laid quite loosely on the same 
day by a female captured at Simplon.) 
Eimydia candida (? cribrum var.).—Rather more than half a sphere ; 
the surface very finely and minutely reticulated; not very shiny ; 
colour orange-yellow ; the micropylar area does not appear to be even 
slightly depressed [Laid (and described) August 4th, 1899, side by 
side in short regular rows, by a 2 caught at Simplon]. On the 6th 
they had become reddish-brown, and by the 7th purplish-brown ; the 
surface very bright and shiny; by the 9th the darkening had increased, 
having become chocolate-brown in tint, whilst the surface shone like 
silver; a small circular apical area represents the micropyle, and 
forms a minute rosette, which has not the same polish as the rest of 
the surface of the eee. 
Lithosia griseola.—An unfertilised egg of L. grisecla, received from 
Mr. Bacot, is dark reddish-brown in colour, the surface strongly pitted 
at the shoulder, becoming regularly reticulated polygonally below the 
shoulder, with a deep apical micropylar depression, at the bottom of 
which is a minute central ceilular structure (the micropyle), surrounded 
by radiating lines, extending up the sides of the depression. 
oer 
Hylophila prasinana.—1:Omm. in diameter, almost exactly or all 
but a hemisphere, very similar in shape to the egg of an Acronycta. 
When laid very pale greenish or colourless and quite transparent. At 
the summit is the micropylar cup 0°18mm. in diameter very nearly 
smooth, but with a central cell surrounded by a circle of petals reaching 
very nearly half-way to margin of cup. The margin of the cup is a 
raised ridge, rather sharp, formed by the first circle of secondary ribs, 
and is thus seven or eight angled. From the seven or eight angles 
start the primary ribs to ‘the ego margin. Inside the rim of the cup a 
few lines of ribbing can be made out but so faintly that the impression 
that the interior of the cup is smooth is nearly correct. The ribbing 
is doubled at once by an intermediate rib arising from the centre of 
the first secondary rib below the cup. The seventh secondary rib, 
below this again starts another intermediate rib, so that if there 
were seven primary ribs at the top, these would become 14 and then 28. 
Asa matter of fact there is some variation. A specimen actually 
counted as 13 and not 14 and in another 32 marginal ribs counted. 
There may be more or less t12n 7 ribs starting at the top and these do 
not always afford a new rib in the interval. Half-way down the egg 
however, when the 14, became 28, there is almost absolutely no 
variation in the intermediate rib being found. ‘The secondary ribs 
towards the margin below the last increase of ribs are 7 and then 
follows a slightly swollen flange in which the egg rests, this is part of 
the egg and not a gluey extraneous material. “The primary ribs are 
high and very sharp, the valley between them hangs in a catenary 
curve to a depth of about one-third its width, the secondary ribs are 
equally sharp, crisp, narrow, but hardly rise above the surface. When 
the egg matures it becomes yellowish and separates from the are 
sufficiently to have a colourless marginal zone, whilst the top of the eg 
down to the marginal ribs becomes of a rich chocolate-brown, aE 
