42 
OVIPOSITION. 
The eg'gs are laid usuall}^ in the earl}^ part of the evening, between 
sundown and dark. During the summer months the moths are not 
infrequently seen fl^'ing and ovipositing on cloudy or dark days, or 
very rarely even on bright ones, but this is the exception. Egg laying 
begins some two or three days after emergence from the ground if the 
female has been fertilized by the male; otherwise it may be delayed 
for some days longer. Quite often solitary females kept in confine- 
ment in the laboratorj- deposited large numbers of infertile eggs, but 
this probably rarel}^ happens in nature. 
On account of the different circumstances surrounding oviposition 
on corn and cotton, the process on these respective plants will be con- 
sidered separately. 
OVIPOSITION ON CORN. 
Although the moths which appear in early spring from hibernating 
pupae lay a few scattering eggs on other plants, such as various garden 
vegetables, by far the greater number of them confine their oviposition 
to young field corn. As soon as the corn has attained a height of from 
10 to 16 inches oviposition begins, but it does not become general until 
the plants are somewhat more advanced, like those shown on Plate IV, 
figure 1. The earliest records in Texas for 1901 are: Victoria, March 
26; Beevill^, March 28; Austin, March 31; Calvert, April 2; Terrell, 
April 22; Paris, April 20. After these dates the eggs become gradually 
more abundant, although variable in number, scarcely ever being 
entirely absent in corn fields until the ripening plants later in the season 
become no longer attractive to the moths. 
The following table, compiled by Mr. F. C. Bishopp from counts 
made on 3^oung corn during the spring of 1904, shows the average 
deposition at that time: 
Table V. — Oviposition on early corn. 
Date. 
Locality. 
Height of plant. 
Num- 
ber of 
plants ex- 
amined. 
Total 
number 
of eggs. 
Approxi- 
mate 
number 
eggs per 
plant. 
1904. 
Apr. 23 
Apr. 24 
Apr. 25 
Apr. 26 
Apr. 27 
Apr. 28 
Apr. 29 
May 3 
Corsicana, Tex . . . 
Hempstead, Tex.. 
Houston, Tex 
Victoria, Tex 
San Antonio, Tex 
Waco, Tex 
Arlington, Tex ... 
Paris, Tex 
li to 2 feet 
1 to 4 feet 
lifeet 
1 to 3 feet 
2 to 3 feet 
8 inches to 2 feet 
1 to U feet 
lto2feet 
200 
150 
10 
150 
125 
125 
125 
150 
66 
383 

22 
40 
40 
32 
150 
0.33 
2.5 

0.14 
0.32 
0.32 
0.25 
1 
These records are practicall}^ the first which show any considerable 
number of eggs present. Deposition throughout the remainder of the 
season is shown in the two following tables, one from Calvert, Tex. , 
