164 DISEASES OF THE COTTON PLANT. 
The perfect insect, or fly, when at rest, is of a triangular 
shape, the head forming one and the extremities of the 
wings the other two angles. The color of the upper-wings 
is reddish-gray, a dark spot with a whitish centre appear- 
ing in the middle of each. The under-wings are of a dark 
reddish-gray. The moth of this caterpillar loses much of 
its grayish cast when it becomes older, and the down has 
been rubbed from the wings. It then assumes more of a 
reddish tinge. 
The perfect flies, or moths, are easily attracted by 
lights, and may be found resting in the daytime on the 
walls or ceilings of rooms, attracted there, no doubt, by 
the candles or lamps on the evening before. If undisturbed, 
they will remain motionless during the day ; but, as night 
approaches, they fly off" with much vigor and strength. 
When in the open air, they may be found among and under 
the leaves of the cotton-plant, as well as those of the weeds 
which surround the plantation. The eggs are deposited 
principally on the under sides of the leaves, but often upon 
the outer calyx ; and I have even found them, when very 
numerous, upon the stem itself. 
Wherever these caterpillars were very abundant, I 
counted from ten to fifteen eggs on a single leaf, which are 
very small, and difficult to be distinguished from the leaves 
themselves, on account of their green color. In shape, the 
eggs are round and flat, and, when examined under a 
microscope, they appear regularly furrowed or ribbed. 
Their color, when freshly deposited, is of a beautiful semi- 
transparent sea-green. They are closely attached to the 
leaf on which they are laid- I am thus particular to state 
this, because, in an able article published some time ago, 
it was alleged that "the egg is fixed upon the leaf by a 
small filament attached by a glutinous substance." This 
