SPHINX LIGUSTRI. 803 



1 90 1 (Ransom); of twenty eggs laid in confinement, 17 were 

 attached to the underside of privet leaves and three to the upper- 

 side. The colour of the eggs harmonises better with the underside 

 than the upperside of the leaves and it is very likely that, in a 

 state of nature, all the ova are laid on the underside, besides which 

 they are there more protected from rain and sun as well as sheltered 

 from observation. Eggs laid on July 8th, 1884, produced larvae 

 on July 1 6th — 18th, 1884, their development being thus very rapid 

 (Poulton); Hellins, too, notes that eggs hatch in from 8-10 days 

 after being laid, but eggs laid June 28th, 1885, at Painswick, 

 hatched on July 14th (Watkins), and others laid June 28th, 1898, 

 at Marathon, hatched July 13th (Clarke). Freeman states that he 

 observed ova laid on tarred palings 6ft. from a lilac bush. Bartel 

 observes that the eggs are often laid on quite different foodplants 

 by one and the same ? , and that there seems to take place in 

 longer periods of time a change of foodplant. Crewe records having 

 found eggs laid indiscriminately on ash, privet, lilac and laurustinus. 

 Kleemann records that he obtained 400 fertile eggs from a single <j? . 

 Levett notes the number of eggs laid by a $ in 1873, as 260. 



Ovum. — In size and general appearance this egg is indistinguishable 

 from that of Amorpha popidi. Its three diameters are 2 - o8mm., r68mm. 

 and 1 '50mm., with some little variation, especially as the egg is 

 rather sensitive to evaporation and the diameters vary a little 

 accordingly even before the depression on the upper surface appears. 

 It seems to have a little less gummy material on it than the eggs of the 

 Amorphids. The surface netting does not present the same curious 

 effects that it presents in these eggs and that seems to be due to the 

 gummy coating. The individual cells of the netting are about co^mm. 

 in diameter and are irregularly hexagonal, with a slightly roughened 

 surface (gum ?). The micropyle is very much the same as in the 

 egg of Amorpha populi, a small rosette of radiating cells, rather 

 shorter than those of the general surface and, of course, much narrower, 

 followed by cells still a little smaller than those further out and 

 all narrowed a little so that their length points towards the micropyle 

 (Chapman). The egg is of a bright apple-green colour, plump 

 in appearance, cylindrical in shape with rounded ends, the length, 

 breadth, and height, being respectively 2mm., 17mm., and i^mm. A 

 small shallow oval depression on the upper surface of the egg. To the 

 naked eye, the shell appears smooth and shining, but under a two- 

 thirds lens is seen to be covered with a minute and exceedingly fine poly- 

 gonal reticulation. I am totally unable to detect the micropyle under a 

 two-thirds lens unless it be a minute star, at one end of, and on a level 

 with, the general surface of the egg. As the egg matures the colour 

 becomes more creamy with certain areas only retaining the original 

 bright green colour. The empty eggshell is transparent, shiny and 

 iridescent, and the young larva makes a circular hole at one end 

 of the egg for its escape. It does not eat the remainder of the 

 eggshell. The egg is laid on its long side, and attached firmly 

 to the object on which it is laid [Tutt. Eggs received from Mr. 

 Christy, July 4th, 1898, described under a two-thirds lens July 8th]. 

 Oval, without much difference between those of the axes, about 

 i'75mm. long and i^mm. wide; slightly flattened from above 

 downwards ; colour bright yellowish-green ; after a few days a 

 depression appears on the upper surface, and the colour becomes 



