﻿OXYPTILUS 
  PARVIDACTYLA. 
  421 
  

  

  July 
  11th. 
  Still 
  orange, 
  no 
  head 
  show- 
  

   ing 
  yet. 
  

   ,, 
  12th. 
  Orange, 
  dark 
  head 
  showing. 
  

   ,, 
  13th. 
  Hatched. 
  

  

  (3) 
  

   July 
  9th. 
  Orange, 
  dark 
  head 
  showing. 
  

   ,, 
  10th. 
  Hatched. 
  

  

  (1) 
  

   July 
  9th. 
  Colour 
  unchanged. 
  

   ,, 
  11th. 
  

   ,, 
  12th. 
  Showing 
  traces 
  of 
  deeper 
  

  

  colour. 
  

   ,, 
  13th. 
  Hatched. 
  

  

  (2) 
  

   July 
  9th. 
  Orange,head 
  not 
  yet 
  showing. 
  

  

  Other 
  dates 
  of 
  hatching 
  noted 
  are: 
  — 
  July 
  7th 
  (earliest), 
  9th 
  (2), 
  

   22nd, 
  23rd 
  (2) 
  (latest). 
  I 
  presume 
  the 
  duration 
  of 
  the 
  egg 
  state 
  lasts 
  

   about 
  ten 
  days, 
  but 
  have 
  no 
  actual 
  facts 
  to 
  go 
  on 
  (Sich). 
  

  

  Ovum. 
  — 
  A 
  rather 
  large 
  egg, 
  especially 
  for 
  so 
  small 
  a 
  moth 
  ; 
  the 
  

   length 
  is 
  # 
  48mm., 
  the 
  width 
  0-30mm., 
  and 
  the 
  height 
  0-27mm., 
  with 
  

   a 
  question 
  as 
  to 
  whether 
  the 
  end 
  view 
  is 
  not 
  circular 
  and 
  the 
  last 
  two 
  

   measures 
  rather 
  those 
  of 
  slightly 
  different 
  eggs. 
  They 
  are 
  very 
  pale 
  

   orange-yellow 
  when 
  laid, 
  and 
  become 
  brighter 
  orange 
  as 
  they 
  mature. 
  The 
  

   sculpture 
  is 
  in 
  very 
  irregular 
  polygons, 
  usually 
  hexagons, 
  but 
  very 
  far 
  

   from 
  regular 
  ones 
  ; 
  each 
  cell 
  about 
  0-025mm. 
  in 
  diameter, 
  they 
  appear 
  

   quite 
  flat, 
  and 
  the 
  dividing 
  ribs 
  are 
  of 
  rectangular 
  section, 
  about 
  | 
  of 
  

   the 
  diameter 
  of 
  a 
  cell 
  in 
  width, 
  and 
  perhaps 
  a 
  third, 
  or 
  a 
  quarter, 
  of 
  

   their 
  width 
  in 
  height 
  (Chapman, 
  July 
  9th, 
  1905). 
  Longer 
  axis 
  

   0'53mm. 
  ; 
  shorter 
  axis 
  # 
  31mm. 
  Shape 
  ovoid, 
  elongated 
  as 
  compared 
  

   with 
  some 
  other 
  Alucitid 
  eggs, 
  the 
  poles 
  rounded, 
  scarcely 
  any 
  differ- 
  

   ence 
  between 
  them. 
  It 
  may 
  be 
  described 
  as 
  a 
  short 
  cylinder 
  with 
  

   rounded 
  ends. 
  The 
  whole 
  surface 
  is 
  covered 
  with 
  a 
  network 
  of 
  more 
  

   or 
  less 
  pentagonal 
  cells, 
  but 
  the 
  cells 
  are 
  not 
  much 
  raised 
  above 
  the 
  

   general 
  surface. 
  The 
  cells 
  vary 
  in 
  size, 
  but 
  are 
  usually 
  about 
  0-02mm. 
  

   or 
  0-03mm.in 
  diameter. 
  The 
  micropylar 
  area, 
  measuring 
  about 
  0-06mm. 
  

   in 
  diameter, 
  lies 
  on 
  the 
  upper 
  pole 
  of 
  the 
  ovum. 
  The 
  neat 
  rosette 
  

   appears 
  to 
  consist 
  of 
  a 
  roundish 
  cell 
  with 
  a 
  prominence 
  in 
  its 
  centre, 
  

   and 
  a 
  circle 
  of 
  six 
  similar 
  cells 
  around 
  it. 
  The 
  colour 
  of 
  the 
  newly- 
  

   laid 
  egg 
  is 
  pale 
  ochreous, 
  and 
  the 
  surface 
  is 
  very 
  glossy. 
  In 
  some 
  

   lights 
  the 
  egg 
  appears 
  of 
  a 
  greenish-grey 
  tint. 
  Later, 
  it 
  becomes 
  

   deeper 
  in 
  colour, 
  and 
  before 
  hatching 
  assumes 
  quite 
  a 
  deep 
  orange 
  

   (chrome-orange) 
  colour. 
  At 
  this 
  period 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  the 
  larva 
  is 
  

   visible 
  within 
  the 
  egg 
  as 
  a 
  large 
  dark 
  spot 
  (Sich). 
  

  

  Habits 
  of 
  larva. 
  — 
  When 
  hatching, 
  the 
  larva 
  bites 
  a 
  hole 
  in 
  the 
  

   wall 
  of 
  the 
  egg, 
  usually 
  just 
  below 
  the 
  upper 
  pole. 
  It 
  does 
  not 
  devour 
  

   the 
  egg-shell, 
  which 
  is 
  left, 
  fairly 
  entire, 
  upon 
  the 
  hair 
  on 
  which 
  it 
  was 
  

   laid. 
  On 
  July 
  7th, 
  1905, 
  just 
  before 
  midnight, 
  I 
  was 
  fortunate 
  enough 
  

   to 
  see 
  a 
  larva, 
  newly-hatched, 
  in 
  the 
  act 
  of 
  crawling 
  down 
  the 
  hair 
  on 
  

   which 
  the 
  egg 
  had 
  been 
  laid. 
  It 
  wandered 
  to 
  the 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  leaf 
  and 
  

   back 
  again 
  to 
  the 
  centre, 
  subsequently 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  apex, 
  and 
  finally 
  down 
  

   to 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  this 
  outer 
  leaf. 
  It 
  then 
  climbed 
  over 
  a 
  leaf 
  nearer 
  t 
  he 
  

   centre 
  of 
  the 
  plant, 
  and 
  at 
  last 
  disappeared 
  between 
  this 
  leaf 
  and 
  the 
  

   innermost, 
  and 
  youngest, 
  leaf 
  of 
  the 
  plant. 
  This 
  occupied 
  one 
  hour 
  

   and 
  thirty-hvo 
  minutes. 
  At 
  10 
  a.m. 
  on 
  the 
  8th, 
  1 
  could 
  see 
  no 
  signs 
  

   of 
  the 
  larva, 
  but, 
  on 
  the 
  day 
  following, 
  I 
  noticed 
  the 
  fluff 
  of 
  the 
  inner- 
  

   most 
  leaf 
  of 
  the 
  plant 
  had 
  been 
  removed 
  from 
  a 
  small 
  space, 
  and 
  the 
  

   substance 
  of 
  the 
  leaf 
  seemed 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  attacked. 
  On 
  July 
  10th, 
  1 
  took 
  

   the 
  larva 
  out 
  of 
  its 
  burrow; 
  it, 
  had 
  grown 
  quite 
  fat, 
  and 
  its 
  body 
  was 
  as 
  

   wide 
  as 
  its 
  head, 
  but 
  it 
  was 
  still 
  in 
  the 
  first 
  instar, 
  though 
  2.\ 
  days 
  old. 
  

   July 
  13th, 
  resting 
  in 
  the 
  central 
  shoot 
  with 
  head 
  uppermost, 
  but. 
  after 
  

  

  