1912.] 271 



Mallobathra scoriota. — Appears early in September (Invercargill) ; food- 

 plant: unknown. The males of this species were found by Mr. Philpott flying 

 in numbers over ferns in an open space in the foi-est. A semi-aptei-ous female, 

 evidently referable to this insect, was found at rest on a fern leaf. 



Talexioria aphrosticha. — Appears in December ; food-plant: unknown. Two 

 males and one semi-apterous female were taken by Mr. Philpott on The Hump, 

 Southland, at an elevation of 3,500 feet above the sea level. It is evidently a 

 movmtain insect and therefore subject to winter conditions. 



B. British Species. 



Orgyia antiqua. — Appeal's in August and September ; food-plant : most trees 

 and bushes. Flies rapidly in hot sunshine. Is very common in the streets of 

 London. (Stainton.) 



Orgyia gonostigma. — Appears in June, second brood in July or August, larva 

 hibernates ; food-plant : sallow, willow and oak, also beech, elm, hawthorn, sloe 

 and nut The moths emerge in June, and from their eggs caterpillars result in 

 July. These, feeding up quickly, attain the perfect state in late July or early 

 August. Caterpillars from this second genei-ation usually go into hibernation 

 when quite small, and feed ujd in the following April and May ; in confinement 

 they may, however, get throug-h their metamorphosis and reach the moth state 

 in September or October. Sometimes it happens that a part of the smnmer 

 brood of caterpillars will feed up straight away and produce moths in August ; 

 others, feeding and growing more slowly, assume the winged state in November ; 

 whilst a third portion will semain small and go into hibernation. (South.) 



Cheionatobia brumata.— Appears November to February ; food-plant : apple 

 and other fruit trees. The parent moth deposits her eggs in the months of 

 November or December, frequently on hawthorn or apple ; in the early spring 

 as soon as the hedges begin to have a greenish tinge, but before the leaf-buds 

 are fully expanded, these eggs hatch, and the small looping larv* begin feeding 

 on the young unexpanded leaves, eating a number of holes in them. They are 

 sometimes extremely injurious from their numbers to apple orchards and even 

 to hawthorn hedges. A few years ago I had about fifty yards of a hawthorn 

 hedge eaten perfectly bare by the larvaj of this insect, and the larvse feeding on 

 the young unexpanded shoots cannot be expelled by shaking or beating. When 

 they attack apple orchards in numbers the entire crop may be lost. About the 

 end of May these small green looping larvse are full fed, and then descend below 

 the surface of the earth, where they iindergo their change to the pupa state. 

 Aliout the middle of November the p^ipa comes to the surface, and the skin 

 cracking, the moth escapes, and crawling up the hedge or tree stem, proceeds to 

 expand and dry its wings. It is, howevei-, only the male which lias developed 

 wings ; the female has the wings no larger than wlien it first emerges from the 

 pupa, and is therefore incapable of flight. On a mild November evening the 

 males may be seen flying along the leafless hedges by hundreds, and if we 

 examine the hedges with a lantern we shall see the subapterous females sitting 

 on the twigs. (Stainton). 



