BIOLOGICAL STUDIES OF THE GREEN CLOVER WP~ 4 9 
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and in this manner locates the eggs, one at a time, on the foliage of 
the food plant. In alfalfa and clover fields the writer has found 
the eggs nearly always on the under side of the foliage to the number 
usually of one, and never more than four on a leaflet. 
In order that data might be procured as to the number of eggs the 
female of this species usually lays in the course of her life, individuals 
were captured in the field and confined for the most part in vials 
provided with fresji leaves of food plants and bits of moist blotting 
paper. Table 1 shows egg records of 24 of these moths. The maxi- 
mum number of eggs laid by a single female was 670. Moths cap- 
tured by the writer late in the fall refused to oviposit. 
Table 1. — Data on oviposition and longevity of moths of the green clover worm 
captured in the field, 1916 
No. 
l 
2 
3 
4 
5 
6 
7 
8 
9 
K) 
11 
12 
13 
14 
15 
16 
17 
18 
19 
20 
21 
22 
23 
24 
Date of 
capture 
Date 
first egg 
was laid 
Mar. 25 
Mar. 26 
30 
Apr. 1 
30 
1 
Apr. 3 
4 
3 
4 
3 
5 
3 
5 
3 
4 
7 
13 
7 
8 
12 
15 
12 
15 
12 
13 
18 
19 
July 25 
Julv 25-26 
25 
25-26 
25 
25-26 
25 
25-26 
25 
25-26 
25 
25-26 
25 
25-26 
25 
26-27 
25 
25-26 
25 
25-26 
Date 
last egg 
was laid 
Apr. 
July 
Aug. 
July 
Length 
of ovi- 
position 
period 
Days 
Number 
of eggs 
laid 
Date of 
death 
175 
Apr. 5 
270 
13 
60 
4 
216 
10 
125 
11 
98 
10 
198 
15 
155 
10 
266 
23 
120 
23 
114 
16 
135 
17 
227 
23 
107 
22 
121 
July 27 
212 
29 
300 
Aug. 1 
153 
Julv 28 
224 
28 
137 
Aug. 1 
670 
6 
193 
6 
345 
6 
208 
29 
Length 
of life in 
captivity 
Days 
The oviposition period may last 11 days or more, and during the 
spring and summer months extends throughout most of the life of the 
adult. 
It was observed that moths kept in captivity would seldom deposit 
large batches of eggs on consecutive days, but would rest from egg 
laying for a dav or two after such exertions. One female oviposited 
on consecutive days, as follows: 168, 8, 159, 83, 0, 0, 161, 0', 60, 31; 
another: 119, 40, 59, 0, 0, 11, 0, 110, 6. The greatest number of eggs 
laid during any one period of 24 hours was 208. 
LONGEVITY OF ADULT 
Table 1 shows the length of life of 24 females captured in the field 
during the spring and summer months. It will be observed that the 
longest time any individual lived was 16 days. As a check on this 
record, which includes only moths captured in the field, a few records 
were obtained from adults reared in confinement. Table 2 shows the 
results obtained. The average length of life in this experiment came 
38097°— 25f 2 
