Some Notes on the 
butterflies, Moths, Si Eggs, 
OF WHICH 
PHOTOGRAPHS APPEAR IN 
THE FOREGOING PAGES . . 
BY 
A. E. TONGE, 
(Fellow of the Entomological Society of London). 
INTRODUCTORY. 
The eggs of Butterflies and Moths are very minute objects, varying 
size from a tiny atom less than ,‘„th of an inch tn d.ame.er, winch 
would easily drop through a hole made by a pinprick, to about 
of an inch across. . 
When examined with a microscope they are found to be In 
most cases very beautiful objects, often decorated with boldly sculp- 
lured natterns of varying forms, and coloured with yellows, greens, 
or redr SomedmesVhe colours are due to the little caterpillar ...side 
showing through a semitransparent shell, and invariably a very 
marktdLhange in the colouration takes place as the time for hatching 
approaches. . . 
They may be broadly divided into two groups upright and 
“ flat " the former comprising those species in which the niicrcpylc 
is situated at V point approximately vertical to the surface on whtch 
the egg is laid, while in the latter it is at right angles. 
They ...ay be laid singly or in large or small batches tit i*U sorts of 
situations from bark and twigs in the winter, to grass and leases ot 
whatever sort the resulting caterpillar will eat at other seasons, vin e 
some* species* appear to Latter them at random amongst suttable 
vegetation. 
The duration of the egg stage varies front f ' v \ ° r s '^ S |ktt°ing 
much as nine months, according to the habit of the species, lasting 
longest of course in those which pass the winter as eggs. All the eggs 
illustrated in this little book are magnified to ^I’ely the Mme 
extent, .o d iameters (or roo times), so that u .may be possible to com 
pare the proportionate size of one species with another. The tllustra 
tions of the perfect insects are all natural size. 
The names are those given in Standinger’s Catalogue (.901) ; and 
though subjec to modifications by the more recent, work of 
Hampson Prout, Tu.t, etc there is no 
nomenclature of Palearct.c Leptdoptera. The Enff ush 
are those believed to be current, and agree generally with those 
given by Edward Newman {British Butter dus and Moths). 1 he 
fimes of year given are generally those in which the photographs o 
the eggs were obtained. 
