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FAMILY AGARISTIDiE. 



(Day Moths.) 



These moths fly freely in the daytime, and arc 

 often mistaken for bntterflies, for their colours are 

 usually bright and their flight quick and strong. 



One of the commonest is the vine moth (Phalae- 

 noides glycine). It is a black moth with lemon- 

 coloured patches on the wings; the tip of the 

 abdomen has a cluster of orange-coloured hairs= 

 The eggs are tiny, pearly bodies, and may be 

 deposited in a cluster on the stems of the food plants 

 (grape vine and Virginia creeper). We have 

 noticed this moth laying eggs singly on the leaves 

 of the grape vine. The young larvae emerge in the 

 springtime, when the young leaves begin to come 

 out. The larva is a very strong caterpillar, and eats 

 rapidly; it is greenish-brown speckled with yellow 

 and having a red band near the tail end. It seems 

 to be partial to fuchsia. 



Arsenate of lead is an effective spray to kill 

 these pests. 



The larva pupates in the soil, where it makes a 

 shelter by cementing particles of soil or dead leaves 

 by means of a sticky secretion. A caterpillar 

 placed in a cardboard box just nibbled pieces of 

 paper off and formed a cocoon of these. Another 

 time a caterpillar was placed in a box with some 

 galls, one of which had a large opening at the end ; 



