382 LIFE STORIES OF AUSTRALIAN INSECTS. 



There are four small eye-spots on each of the hind 

 wings. 



The food plant is the nettle. The larvae are gre- 

 garious, and have formed the curious habit of spin- 

 ning a silken thread, and drawing the nettle leaves 

 together between which they find shelter. They are 

 black to grey in colour. 



Pupa is purplish-grey with angular projections. 

 Tliey are sometimes found quite golden, but in this 

 case are parasitised. 



Another is the ** tailed emperor," Eulepis sempro- 

 niiis {Charaxes sempronius of some authors). The 

 general colour of the upper surface is bluish-cream, 

 with black towards the margins ; the hind wings are 

 ''tailed." The under-surface is quite unlike the 

 upper, being banded with shades of brown, brick- 

 red, and creamy-white. The eggs are laid singly 

 on leaves of the food plant. 



The larva is bluish-green, with a crescent-shaped 

 band on the seventh and ninth segment of orange 

 colour. The head is surmounted by a series of 

 horns (from 4 to 6). 



Food plants: Acacia baileyana^ A. longifoUa and 

 two other species: Robinia pseudo acaciaef and the 

 camphor laurel. 



Pupa: Delicate sea-green colour, and smooth; it 

 turns to bronze colour when the adult is about to 

 emerge. 



Waterhouse and Lyell record: ''We have taken 

 this butterfly feeding on the juices exuded by 

 shrubs; the late Mr. G. Masters once found several 

 examples round the leaking bung-hole of a wine 



