no LlI^E STORIES OP" AUSTRALIAN INSECTS. 



vegetable feeders. The larvae of this group are 

 better known than the adults (Plate 14, Fig. 8). 

 They may be seen in clusters on the leaves of 

 Eucalyptus, and when disturbed, they turn up their 

 tails and eject a greenish fluid, hence the children 

 call them "spitfires." 



The adult is a thickset insect (Plate 14, Fig. 9). 

 Some of the more brightly coloured ones may be 

 mistaken for the more thickset species of wasps, 

 until the absence of the petiole is noted. The mother 

 sawfly has a "saw," an instrument for cutting slits 

 in leaves, situated on the underside at the end of the 

 abdomen. (Plate 14, Figs. 4 and 7.) It is a beautiful 

 little tool when seen with the lens, and can be placed 

 in a slit in the abdomen, or pushed out just at 

 will. (The saw can be seen well by gently drawing] 

 it out with a needle). 



After cutting the slits in the leaves, the eggs are 

 laid and from them hatch out grubs which differ 

 from most hymenopterous larvae in that they are 

 quite capable of supporting themselves — for they can 

 move freely about on the leaves and eat; they 

 have strong biting jaws. 



The mother sawfly of some species shows a ten 

 dency to social insects by hovering over the eggs 

 and young larvae, ex. : Perga lewisi. At such a time 

 she is easily caught. 



The larva of the common large sawfly Perga dor- 

 salis is a grub with three pairs of strong horny legs, 

 and a pair of anal claspers. The grubs feed on Eu- 

 calyptus leaves, and go about like flocks of shee 

 feeding, and scattering somewhat when doing- so 



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