LAOHNEIS LANESTRIS. 507 



Ovum. — Under a low power, the egg looks as if streaked with fine 

 dark lines (reminding one of the markings of a yellow-hammer's egg) 

 but these markings, under a two-thirds lens, resolve themselves into 

 silk fibres attached to the egg. The latter is roughly cylindrical, 

 thickened and rounded towards the micropylar or outer end. It is 

 pale milky white in colour, with an almost circular depression on the 

 upper surface of the egg. The shell is smooth, somewhat glistening, 

 with no trace of ribbing, but showing a very finely and minutely pitted 

 surface under a two-thirds lens. The micropylar area is somewhat 

 large in proportion to the transverse diameter of the egg, flattened, and 

 very finely reticulated. The cells of the same size throughout except 

 round the micropyle itself, where they are very much smaller and 

 arranged in a stellate manner. The micropyle proper is very slightly 

 depressed and is brown in colour. 



Habits of larva. — Linne noticed the gregarious habits of the larvae 

 of this species, and wrote: "Larvae cohabitant in societate sub tentoriis 

 cellulosis, unde migrant pabulaturae, redeuntque per foramina ramis 

 parallela." Robson characterises it as being more gregarious than 

 any other British species of Macro-Lepidoptera, and says that " the 

 larvae spin a web and live gregariously until full-grown, and cannot be 

 removed from the web with any certainty of rearing them." This is 

 hardly so, as they usually leave thenest some days before they are full-fed. 

 The young larvae spin a web wherever they go, but do not move further 

 from their tent than is necessary to obtain food, although this may 

 extend to a yard or more. They increase the size of their shelter as 

 they spread themselves further for food, but always retire within 

 their domicile when not feeding, and to change their skin. When 

 full-fed they wander off alone, and spin their cocoons solitarily. 

 Massey notices that the webs or nests vary in size, some are of 

 the size of a cricket ball, others would fill a quart pot. The 

 difference in size of the larvae in the same web is remarkable, and 

 is possibly due to overcrowding in the webs, the weaker ones 

 suffering. The webs are generally placed near the top of a white- 

 thorn hedge or blackthorn bush and are very conspicuous. The larvae 

 are very fond of basking in the sun. Riding observes that the 

 larvae denude the terminal shoots, and abandon the web about a week 

 before they are full-fed. They stray from the nest as much as a 

 distance of two yards at least — further if the supply of food be 

 insufficient. They form bridges of silk between good feeding-grounds, 

 so as to facilitate the return to the nest. They feed in the sunshine. 

 The web of the nest is increased in size, more or less daily, by the 

 formation of webs of tough silk spun between prominent extended 

 projections. Hawes states that some of the nests contain more than 

 50 larvae. Williams says that he found full-grown larvae commonly, 

 but singly, on hedges at Southend, these had evidently left the web, 

 the usual practice with larvae in their last instar. Merrin says that they 

 remain gregarious until the change to the pupal stage, but this does 

 not seem to be always so, many congeries dispersing directly after the 

 last moult. Barrett says that the larvae build a silken covering in 

 which they live, leaving it to feed, and returning to it to rest. 

 They rest on the surface of the web in fine weather, basking in the 

 sunshine, and crowd within it when the weather is cold or wet. 

 Newman further notes that when quite full-fed the larva rests in a 



