The eggs of Colias and Pieris, although slender-spindle-shaped, can be 

 readily located on their foodplants. I have found the eggs of Colias everywhere 

 plentiful on the small plants of sweet clover and have often collected dozens 

 of eggs of Meganostoma caesonia on its foodplant, Armorpha fruticosa, not 

 on the old shrubs, but the low young plants. 



Similarly I have found the eggs of Terias lisa and Callidryas eubule on 

 the top side of the leaflets of Cassia chamaecrista, those of Terias nicippe on 

 Cassia marilandica, and those of Nathalis iole on wild marigold. 



I have seen Basilarchia astyanax ovipositing on apples and B. disippus 

 on willow, and time and again, Euptoieta claudia on violets. 



It is little trouble in August here to collect scores of eggs of Amaea 

 andria on the leaves of goat weed, Croton capitatum and C. monanthogynum, 

 and quite as plentiful are the ova of Grapta interrogationis on elm sprouts. 

 The Nymphalidae either lay their eggs at the tip of the leaf or at the edge 

 or underside as is the case with A. andria. 



In searching for the eggs of Papilio ajax, I often found on the underside 

 of the papaw leaves a larger spherical green egg, that of the hawk, Dolba 

 hylaeus. 



The first imago of Smerinthus geminatus I ever saw was resting at the 

 base of a small aspen tree and in ten minutes afterward I had taken more 

 than a dozen of eggs of that species from the little sprouts growing near. 



Often have I found the eggs of Pachysphinx modesta on the under side 

 of cottonwood and aspen leaves, those of Smerinthus excaecatus on apple 

 and plum. 



The under side of the loose bark of hickory, willow, oak, plum, apple 

 and walnut is a perfect storehouse of Catocala eggs, and furnishes much in- 

 teresting collecting throughout the autumn and winter. 



In summing up, look for the eggs of butterflies on the tender end leaves 

 of young plants or sprouts, for the Papihonidae on the top side of the leaf 

 and for the Nymphalidae at the end or under side for ova of Sphinx moths 

 on the under side of the leaves of their plants. The larger silk moths often 

 lay on the body of the tree or bush as well as on the under side of the leaf. 

 The Catocala oviposit in the groves of or underneath the loose bark of their 

 food trees. 



Knowing the foodplant and the time of appearance of the imago, the 

 collector has little trouble securing eggs and larvae, but having no knowledge 

 of the life history of a species, save an acquaintance with the adult, he must 

 find means of learning more of its habits and developmental stages. 



In the bright sunshine of summer the female butterflies are busy oviposit- 

 ing and the collector on the alert can hardly fail to locate the foodplants and 

 the deposited ova. 



A lone butterfly flitting leisurely and apparently aimlessly along should 

 be observed closely for a few minutes. If she drops to a leaf for a second 

 and then is off again as if searching for something lost, the collector is on a 

 "warm trail." If close enough the observer will see the insect on alighting 

 quickly curve the end of the abdomen down against the leaf and the egg 

 is placed. I have seen Ajax occasionally place an egg on a dead twig or 

 leaf of some plant other than papaw, but very near to its foodplant. 



It is not uncommon to find single eggs of Catocala ilia under the bark 

 of shag-bark hickory half a mile from bur oak, its foodplant. The moth 



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