LIFE-HISTORY OF THE DIAMOND-BACK MOTH. 171 
portion of the damage was done. The heavy rains and lower 
temperature in the end of July seemed to have been nature’s own 
remedy, for the insects perished by thousands. The plants were 
washed free from their destroyers, and those that were not too much 
eaten away revived under the influence of the refreshing rain, 
started into new growth, and yielded a more or less satisfactory 
crop. 
On returning home I brought with me a collection of these 
insects, and so was enabled carefully to study out their life-history 
from specimens reared under my own care. From these I selected 
a series of representative ones, which Mr. Enoch, of London, with 
his usual skill, has succeeded in mounting in their natural position, 
and these are placed under a series of microscopes on the table 
before you ; and I have also had prepared drawings in colour 
of them as seen through the microscopes, thus forming a more 
permanent record. (Plate VIII.) 
When the moth settles upon a leaf it folds the wings over 
its body, the long, whitish antennas being extended in front, and 
presenting a white line down the centre of the back, which takes 
the form of a row of three or four diamonds placed end to end, 
this giving the name to the moth. (Plate VIII., Fig. 5.) 
The side view of the moth (Plate VIII., Fig. 6) shows the tail 
tufted or curled up at the end, which is a distinctive feature of 
this moth. The front wings are reddish to pale brown, and the 
hind wings are generally silver grey with long delicate fringes. 
The body is of the same colour and about half-an-inch long. 
The wings when expanded would be about three-quarters of an 
inch across. (Plate VIII., Figs. 7 and 8.) The female moth 
lays its eggs, which are cream-coloured or white, upon the leaves of 
the food plant, sometimes singly or a few together, but more 
generally in a mass, in each case being fastened with a glutinous 
substance. In the early spring these are laid upon the wild plants, 
but later on upon cultivated cruciferous plants, as turnips, cabbage, 
&c. In a few days the caterpillars are hatched out, and at once 
begin to feed upon the leaves around them, and after feeding from 
three to four weeks they spin their beautiful cocoons, hammock 
August, 1893. 
