These are placed differently in
freedom and captivity. A moth in a natural location glues her eggs,
often one at a time, on the under or upper side of leaves. Sometimes
she dots several in a row, or again makes a number of rows, like a
little beaded mat. One authority I have consulted states that
"The eggs are always laid by the female in a state of freedom upon
the food-plant which is most congenial to the larvae." This has not
'always' been the case in my experience. I have found eggs on
stone walls, boards, fences, outbuildings, and on the bark of dead
trees and stumps as well as living, even on the ground. This also,
has been the case with the women who wrote "Caterpillars and their
Moths", the most invaluable work on the subject ever compiled.
A captive moth feels and resents her limitations. I cannot force
one to mate even in a large box. I must free her in the conservatory,
in a room, or put her on an outside window br door screen. Under
these conditions one will place her eggs more nearly as in freedom;
but this makes them difficult to find and preserve.
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