The Puss Caterpillar. 5 



They are comparatively sluggish and usually mate soon after becom- 

 ing dry. The eggs are usually laid by the females on the leaves 

 nearest at hand. After oviposition there seems to be more tendency 

 for the moths to fly and they are occasionally seen around lights in 

 a city. The females usually begin deposition the day following 

 emergence and will lay many eggs even though not fertilized. No 

 indication of parthenogenesis has been noted. The number of eggs 

 deposited ranges from 300 to over 600. Oviposition is usually com- 

 pleted in 2 or 3 days, but may extend over a period of 7 or 8 days. 



. 



1 



:V 



^Pf ■ ■■;• 



* 



«|^M^^H 



Fig. 4.— Full-grown puss caterpillar. 



The females usually die shortly after egg laying ceases and the males 

 live from 4 to 9 days. Oviposition proceeds freely without the moth 

 partaking of food, and it is believed that normally the adults do not 

 feed in nature. 



The duration of incubation has been observed to range from 4 to 

 8 days. The segments of the young larvae can often be seen through 

 the eggs several hours before hatching begins. In hatching the Qgg 

 is broken open at the tip by the larva and. usually a portion of it is 

 eaten away, thus leaving a ragged end. The young larv?e feed 

 gregariously for several days, the leaves at first being minutely 

 skeletonized as shown in Figure 10. Later, usually in the third 

 instar, the larvae begin to cut through the entire leaf. 



Tables 1 and 2 give some of the data obtained in the study of this 

 insect. 



