BY W. W. FROGGATT. 



381 



Mr. Thoi'nton has given me a long account of the habits of the 

 larva of this motli, from his own original observations. But Lewin, 

 in his work on "New South Wales Lepidoptera," published in 1805, 

 has given such a complete description of their habits and food 

 plants, that it is unnecessary to dwell further on the subject. 



Charagia eximia, Scott. 



Several S|)ecimens of both sexes of this moth are in the collec- 

 tion. The male has both the fore- and hindwings pale bluish- 

 green, the former covered with indistinct wavy markings forming 

 oval I'ings, and crossed with a line of fine yellow spots in the 

 centre. The female has the head, legs, thorax and forewings 

 bright vivid green, with two circular spots in the centre of 

 each wing, and brown markings on the outer margins ; the 

 hindwings are bright reddish-pink with the tips yellowish- 

 green ; the first five segments of the abdomen of a similar red 

 colour, the last three the same vivid green as the forewings ; she 

 is fully a third larger than the male. 



These were watclied feeding for three years. The young larva 

 eats a hole in the baik, and forms a thin web over it like the 

 " Bentwing ; " then feeding down the centre of the stem, follow- 

 ing any angle in the trunk, often makes a bore five feet deep. 

 Before passing into the chrysalid state it eats the web off, re- 

 placing it with a thin wad or button at the entrance of the hole, 

 and though moving up and down the bore, it does not push the 

 wad out of the hole until the moth is ready to emerge. 



The larvae feed upon the Lilly Pilly {Eugenia smithi), the water 

 gum [Pkyllanthus ferdinandi), and the Black Fig (Ficus aspera). 

 They change into chrysalids in August, coming out in October in 

 the VVallsend district. 



Charagia splendens, Scott. 



The male has the forewings of a delicate pale green, with the 

 centre of the head, fore part of the thorax, a slender stripe along 

 the outer edge of the forewings, and an irregular transverse band 

 26 



