ATTACKING THE FRUIT 129 



the greater portion of them find their way to the trunks of 

 the trees, where, under the rough bark and in cracks and 

 crevices, they spin their cocoons. 



Having selected a suitable hiding-place, the larva constructs 

 a papery-looking silken cocoon, shown at i in the figure, which 

 is white inside, and disguised on the outside by attaching to 

 the silky threads small fragments of the bark of the tree or 

 other available debris. After the cocoon is completed, the 

 change to the chrysalis takes place in the early brood in about 

 three days. At first the pupa is of a pale-yellow color, deep- 

 ening in a day or two to pale brown ; the insect remains in 

 this condition about two weeks, when the moth escapes. 



Each moth is capable of laying on an average probably not 

 less than fifty eggs, but these are not all matured at once; by 

 careful dissection they niaybe found in the body of the moth 

 in different stages of development. Hence they are deposited 

 successively, extending over a })eriod probably of from one 

 to two weeks or more ; add to this the fact that some of the 

 moths are retarded in their development in the spring, aiid 

 it is easy to account for the finding of larvae of various sizes 

 at the same time ; indeed, sometimes the later specimens from 

 the first brood will not have escaped from the fruit before 

 some of the young larvae of the second brood make their ap- 

 pearance, the broods thus, as it were, overlapping each other, 

 and very much extending the period for the appearance of 

 the winged insects. 



The moth {g, Fig. 137), although small, is a beautiful 

 object. The fore wings arc marked with alternate irregular, 

 transverse, wavy streaks of ash-gray and brown, and have on 

 the inner hind angle a large, tawny-brown spot, with streaks 

 of light bronze or copper. color, nearly in the form of a horse- 

 shoe ; at a little distance they resemble watered silk. The 

 hind wings and abdomen are of a light yellowish brown, 

 with the lustre of satin. The moth conceals itself during the 

 daytime, and appears only at night, and, since it is not read- 

 ily attracted by light, is seldom seen. The second brood of 



9 



