84 



Insect Pesfs. 



eye-like spot with several black dots ; tlie posterior pair of win-s are 

 grey. :Much variation is seen in tlie colour of different specimens. 



The moths are found on the wing in June ami duly at dark, and 

 they freciuent orchards, gardens and lanes. The female deposits her 

 eggs at night, nsuallv siuglv. liut now and tlien in clusters, upon the 

 upper sides of the leaves. Kollar (2) states that they ai-e placed at 

 the base of the leaf and fruit Ijuds, and that they remain as ova 

 during tlie whole of the winter. Botli Fletcher (3) and Slingerland 

 (4) found tliat the ova hatched in late summer and early autumn, 

 and that the Mdnter rs passed hi the larvah not egg, stage. This 

 seems to be the rule in this country, but I have 

 found such small lar\-a' in spring tliat I am inclined 

 to fancy Kcillar's statement is al-o correct ( ■ ). 



The eggs are flat and more or less round, trans - 

 ]i:irent, and resembling little sjieek's of gum on tlie 

 leave-^. AVhen several an' laid tngetln.-r tliey ovorlap 

 one another lilvC tlie scales of a fisli. In ueneral 

 appiearauce tliey resemlde the o\:\ of the (_'od]iiig 

 iUotli, the outer edge being marked with well-deHued 

 reticulation. The young larva can be seen developing 

 within the egg-shell, anil as it matures gives the centre 

 of the egg a greenish liue. Th.e eL;g stage lasts li-om 

 seven to ten days. On liatching Irom the eggs the 

 larv;e at once commence to feed on tlie under surface 

 of the leaves where they form little tubes of silk, 

 open at each end and attached to the lea\'es near tlie 

 mill rib. AYlien feednig. the young lar\;e iorm a 

 small fine mass of webl.iing. beneitli Mdiii.di thev 

 .shelter and go on feeding until the lea\"cs are nearly 

 ripe. By then tliey are nearlv lialf Liriiwn. Before 

 the leaves fall they rejiair to tlie base or axils of the 

 buds and winter ihore, eucliised in a small silken case 

 nsuall\' co\-ered with alga;- and dirt, as inconspicuous bodies no 

 more than i inch long; sonietimrs they may be hmnd under a 

 dead bud scale. In these "winter houses" the larva' are green, 

 AVlicii the buds commence to swoU thev leave iho " houses " and 

 enter tlie buds, where they change to reddish-brown caterpillars 

 with black heads, dark iirst se-ment and legs, A\dicii still more 

 matiiro they liecoiiie a pironounced rvddish-brown. When mature, 

 the caierpillars reach nearly -,V iueli in leii-th. Al hrst they live 

 mainly in the buds in the spring, spinning the opening leaves and 

 IiIosso'hs togetlier, but later they feed amongst the open leaves. 



li;, ,13, — WINTKl; 



A~i; < >]■ j;ni mmth 

 :'-\TKi;rii.i..\K {m. 



