BY WALTER W. FROGGATT. 259 



slow and vsluggish in its habits, and is usually found clinging to 

 low bushes. 



I ha\e, during the last season, been fortunate in breeding out 

 one of our lax'gest species, which spins a somewhat different form 

 of shelter, which is described below with the life-history of the 

 species. 



Teara contraria. Walker. 



The larva, when full grown, is two inches in length, of a 

 unifoi'm thickness, with the head ferruginous, rounded on summit 

 and sides, a pale median suture running into the triangular 

 clypeus; labium and jaws small; all the head thickly covered with 

 long reddish-brown hairs standing out in front. Thoracic and 

 abdominal segments black across the centre, which is raised into 

 a row of large tubercles, out of which spring a number of long 

 fine white and reddish-brown hairs; between the segments thickly 

 covered with small white spots, from each of which spr-ings a 

 short black hair. Under side pale ochreous yellow, with a dou1>le 

 row of dark ferruginous tubercles tufted with reddish-brown 

 hairs; legs ferruginous, black at the tips, covered with short 

 reddish hairs; tubercles on the 1st and 2nd abdominal segments, 

 and claspers upon the following segments covered with stout 

 reddish-brown hairs. 



The larvse live in communities of a hundred or moi'e, forming a 

 felted silken bag or net of a dark reddish-brown colour on the 

 sheltered side of the tree trunk, close to the ground, under which 

 they hide during the day, half buried in the cast skins and excreta 

 which accumulate beneath. They crawl up the tree at dusk, 

 feeding upon the foliage, and returning to their retreat at day- 

 light. In April last a clump of very fine wattles (Acacia pro- 

 m'nieus) were completely defoliated by them near the Penshurst 

 railway station. Every other tree had a large bag at the foot of 

 its trunk, while branches and trunk were festooned with strands 

 of dirty yellow silk down to the top of the bag. 



Aliout fifty specimens of nearly mature larvte were collected 

 and placed in a large glass jar in the Museum, where they 



