﻿ARMY 
  WORM: 
  MODE 
  OF 
  OVIPOSITION. 
  107 
  

  

  Kemaining 
  concealed 
  during 
  the 
  day, 
  unless 
  disturbed, 
  or 
  except 
  in 
  

   cloudy 
  weather, 
  the 
  moth 
  begins 
  to 
  ily 
  at 
  the 
  approach 
  of 
  night, 
  and, 
  

   so 
  far 
  as 
  observations 
  have 
  indicated, 
  is 
  engaged 
  in 
  ovipositing 
  most 
  

   actively 
  during 
  the 
  earlier 
  i)art 
  of 
  the 
  night. 
  It 
  was 
  at 
  five 
  or 
  six 
  in 
  

   the 
  afternoon 
  when 
  the 
  firsfc 
  moth 
  in 
  1876 
  was 
  discovered 
  in 
  the 
  act 
  of 
  

   egg-laying, 
  but 
  they 
  have 
  since 
  been 
  found 
  at 
  work 
  most 
  often 
  in 
  tlwe 
  

   early 
  night-hours. 
  The 
  time 
  of 
  year 
  when 
  the 
  eggs 
  are 
  laid 
  will 
  be 
  dis- 
  

   cussed 
  under 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  "Number 
  of 
  Annual 
  Generations." 
  

  

  Mode 
  of 
  oviposition. 
  — 
  We 
  have 
  already 
  described 
  the 
  compressed, 
  

   horny 
  ovipositor 
  of 
  the 
  female, 
  which 
  plays 
  with 
  great 
  ease 
  upoD 
  the 
  two 
  

   telescopic 
  sub-joints 
  of 
  the 
  abdomen. 
  This 
  organ, 
  in 
  the 
  act 
  of 
  ovii)osi- 
  

   tion, 
  is 
  thrust 
  in 
  between 
  the 
  folded 
  sides 
  of 
  the 
  grass 
  blade, 
  and 
  the 
  eggs 
  

   are 
  glued 
  along 
  the 
  blade 
  in 
  rows 
  of 
  from 
  fifteen 
  to 
  twenty, 
  and 
  covered 
  

   with 
  a 
  white, 
  glistening, 
  adhesive 
  fluid, 
  which 
  not 
  only 
  fastens 
  them 
  

   together, 
  but 
  draws 
  the 
  sides 
  of 
  the 
  grass 
  blade 
  close 
  around 
  them, 
  so 
  

   that 
  nothing 
  but 
  a 
  narrow, 
  glistening 
  streak 
  is 
  visible. 
  This 
  attempt 
  at 
  

   concealment 
  is 
  always 
  made 
  where 
  the 
  eggs 
  are 
  deposited 
  in 
  the 
  leaf; 
  

   but 
  where 
  they 
  are 
  thrust 
  down 
  between 
  the 
  sheath 
  and 
  the 
  stalk, 
  or 
  

   otherwise 
  naturally 
  concealed, 
  the 
  gummy 
  fluid 
  is 
  often 
  very 
  si)arsely 
  

   used, 
  and 
  sometimes 
  not 
  at 
  all. 
  

  

  We 
  have 
  stated 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  eggs 
  in 
  a 
  string 
  at 
  from 
  fifteen 
  to 
  

   twenty, 
  and 
  this 
  we 
  believe 
  to 
  be 
  about 
  the 
  normal 
  number 
  ; 
  but 
  we 
  

   have 
  known 
  as 
  few 
  as 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  to 
  be 
  deposited 
  in 
  confinement, 
  and 
  

   large 
  batches 
  of 
  nearly 
  a 
  hundred 
  eggs, 
  in 
  from 
  three 
  to 
  eight 
  rows, 
  have 
  

   been 
  found 
  in 
  bits 
  of 
  corn 
  stalk. 
  

  

  We 
  have 
  elsewhere 
  expressed 
  the 
  opinion 
  that 
  the 
  grass 
  blades 
  may 
  

   possibly 
  be 
  clasped 
  by 
  the 
  opening 
  hind 
  border 
  of 
  the 
  ovipositor, 
  so 
  as 
  

   to 
  give 
  the 
  insect 
  a 
  firmer 
  hold 
  and 
  close 
  the 
  leaf 
  more 
  firmly 
  on 
  the 
  eggs, 
  

   but 
  more 
  recent 
  actual 
  observation, 
  in 
  the 
  field, 
  of 
  the 
  movements 
  of 
  the 
  

   moth 
  during 
  oviposition 
  would 
  indicate 
  that 
  this 
  opinion 
  is 
  not 
  well 
  

   founded. 
  She 
  walks 
  or 
  flies 
  around 
  in 
  the 
  grass, 
  alighting 
  every 
  few 
  

   moments, 
  until 
  she 
  finds 
  a 
  place 
  that 
  satisfies 
  her. 
  She 
  then 
  clasps 
  the 
  

   blade, 
  her 
  head 
  almost 
  invariably 
  upward, 
  or 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  direction 
  with 
  

   the 
  blade. 
  The 
  front 
  pair 
  of 
  legs 
  clasp 
  the 
  blade, 
  forward, 
  the 
  middle 
  

   pair 
  about 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  the 
  abdomen, 
  and 
  the 
  hind 
  pair 
  about 
  the 
  tip 
  

   of 
  the 
  abdomen, 
  the 
  wings 
  being 
  partly 
  open 
  meanwhile. 
  The 
  leaf 
  is 
  

   thus 
  folded 
  by 
  the 
  middle 
  and 
  hind 
  legs, 
  while 
  the 
  abdomen 
  bends, 
  and 
  

   the 
  ovipositor 
  is 
  thrust 
  in 
  as 
  already 
  described. 
  She 
  is 
  thus 
  engaged 
  

   from 
  one 
  to 
  three 
  or 
  four 
  minutes 
  at 
  a 
  given 
  spot, 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  

   number 
  of 
  eggs 
  laid, 
  and 
  then 
  flies 
  a 
  short 
  distance, 
  and 
  in 
  a 
  few 
  

   minutes 
  lays 
  another 
  batch. 
  As 
  we 
  have 
  known 
  30 
  eggs 
  to 
  be 
  laid 
  in 
  

   two 
  minutes, 
  it 
  would 
  not 
  require 
  many 
  hours 
  to 
  empty 
  the 
  ovaries, 
  and 
  

   a 
  given 
  female 
  probably 
  lays 
  all 
  her 
  stock 
  of 
  eggs 
  in 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  nights, 
  

   though 
  the 
  time 
  will 
  vary 
  with 
  temperature 
  and 
  other 
  conditions. 
  We 
  

   have 
  known 
  the 
  moth 
  to 
  be 
  so 
  fixedly 
  engaged 
  in 
  supplying 
  a 
  piece 
  of 
  

   old 
  stubble 
  with 
  her 
  eggs 
  that 
  she 
  was 
  unable 
  to 
  disengage 
  herself 
  when 
  

  

  