MOSQUITOES, SILKIVORMS, AND DRAGON-FLIES 1 1 



fly. The larvae are not hairy and all their markings, 

 their changes during growth, and their behavior can be 

 fully observed. And finally, the moths are obliging 

 enough to lay their eggs on whatever is provided them, 

 and do not insist on flying away into the fields ; thus the 

 process of egg-laying can be observed and the age of the 

 eggs be exactly known. 



The eggs and hatching. — The eggs of the silkworm 

 moth are nearly spherical, a little flattened, and about the 

 size of a mustard-seed. When first deposited they are 

 yellow, but soon become grayish or slate-colored and in- 

 dented on top. Each female moth lays about 300 eggs. 

 These remain unchanged in appearance, after the first 

 change from yellow to gray, until about the hatching 

 time, when they become paler. The tiny worm or larva 

 inside, for the silk "worm " is of course simply the larva 

 or first young stage of the silkworm moth, gnaws its way 

 through the thin egg-shell and crawls out ready to begin 

 feeding. Some newly hatched larvae of moths and butter- 

 flies have the curious habit of eating the egg-shells as soon 

 as they issue from them. Do the young silkworms do this } 



The larvae, i.e., " silkworms " (figs. 3 and 4). — As soon 

 as the eggs begin to hatch fresh leaves of the mulberry or 

 osage orange must be supplied to the young larvje. These 

 leaves must not be wet, for the tiny silkworms seem to 

 have rather delicate stomachs which object to cold damp 

 food. They should be cut into pieces, the bits being evenly 

 spread about in the shallow tray or box-cover in which 

 the worms are to live. Watch the young larva: crawl 

 and feed. Note that they bite out little crescents and 

 semicircles in the edges of the leaves. Does the silk- 

 worm have any particular way of moving its head when 

 biting off bits of leaf-tissue .? Examine one of the tiny 

 worms with a hand lens. Note that its body is composed 

 of a series of segments or rings. How many pairs of legs 



