182 COTTON 
THE STORY OF HIS LIFE 
The female lays about 500 eggs, using one or 
more leaves for places of deposit, and usually the 
underside of the leaf. Since the moth is a night- 
flyer, eggs, as a rule, are laid at night. In the 
summer, these eggs hatch in three or four days, 
but the time is lengthened somewhat in the earlier 
and the later seasons of the year. The young 
larva on hatching from the egg, begins feeding on 
the leaf, starting with the underside, and biting 
just a bit of the layer. A little stronger, it travels 
about, and finally may be seen at any place on the 
stalk. During the caterpillar’s life, the skin is shed 
five times; at the fifth shedding full growth is 
reached. It usually takes from one to four weeks 
to complete this part of its existence. At first 
the larva is yellow in color, but soon a change 
is seen and the greenish appearance deepens 
and becomes permanent, the black along the 
back coming out prominently, though varying 
in intensity with different individuals. The larva 
moves rapidly; in walking it brings its hind prop 
legs forward to its fore legs, arching its back and be- 
coming a loop in shape. It eats greedily now, 
subsisting on leaves principally; but where numbers 
are many and food consequently scarce, the cotton 
boll is not spared but also contributes to the bill of 
fare. And should the vegetation diet become short, 
there is no hesitation about the stronger members 
feeding on the feebler and smaller individuals of 
the race. 
WHEN MATURITY COMES 
Many farmers believe that the caterpillar, when 
