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Life History of the Mottled Cup Moth 



{Doratifera vulnerans) . 



Measures about one inch across the wings. The 

 colour is shades of marbled brown; the hind wings 

 are creamy brown. 



The eggs are deposited on leaves of gum-trees, 

 and we have found them on those of apricot-treos. 

 The caterpillar is broad and about an inch long. 

 The liollow in the centre of the back is prettily 

 marked with orange and purple-grey. The raised 

 parts at each end are ornamented with red tubercles 

 bearing clusters of creamy spines. It is difficult 

 to distinguish the head from the tail. 



Pupa: We observed the pupation of the larva. 

 It chose one of the gum-twigs in the box, and it 

 vigorously ate the bark away. After an hour at 

 lliis occupation, it rested an hour; it then stretched 

 itself along th^ twig. We vvatclied the following 

 process with a lens : — It bent its body back, first 

 on one side and then on the other, till it touched 

 the twig behind its back, and at every turn a 

 thread was fastened on to the twig. This was done 

 with great rapidity. Some were fastened to an- 

 other thread. This continued till a flimsy cover 

 was formed. Then the larva brought both ends 

 of its body together, the under surface being out- 

 wards. Now the doubled-up caterpillar moved 

 round as a whole, according to the position required 

 to build up its cocoon. Hour after hour we 

 watched, till the cocoon began to assume the oval 

 shape. When it was almost opaque we could 

 detect the head of the caterpillar working in a 

 circle at the upper end, which was slightly smaller 

 than the base. To us it seemed to be putting an 



