68 the victorian naturalist. 



Fam. Bombyces. 



Nyctimera amica. White. 



Egg. — Globular, almost transparent ; are deposited side by side 

 in masses of 80 or 90, on the under part of leaf of food plant. 



Larva (full grown). — Head black, shining ; body velvety black, 

 with three longitudinal lines (dorsal and subdorsal), deep orange 

 or nearly red. Each segment bears six blue-back tubercles, from 

 which spring bunches of hair. The second segment has two long 

 tufts of hair projecting anteriorly beyond the head. Under side 

 slate grey, feet pitchy black. 



Pupa. — Vide Victorian Naturalist, vol. viii., No. 10 (H. 

 Edwards). 



Cocoon. — Spins a few silken threads together with the hairs of 

 its own body ; generally found under fallen leaves and other 

 debris. Length, 1^ inches. 



Food Plant. — Among other plants I have noticed it very fond 

 of English ivy. 



Coloured drawings, illustrating the life-histories of these two 

 insects, were exhibited by me, at this Club, on 14th September, 

 1891. 



NOTES ON A TRIP TO SOUTH GIPPSLAND. 

 By R. S. Sugars. 

 [Read before the Field Naturalists' Club of Victoria, WthJuly, 1892.) 

 I left Melbourne on Thursday, 7th January last, by train from 

 Prince's Bridge at 9.10 a.m., booked as far as the then terminus 

 of the railway line, Leongatha. At Dandenong a transfer was 

 made to the Great Southern line, from whence the journey can 

 now be performed to Port Albert without a break, the railway 

 line since having been opened to that point. 



One of my fellow-travellers proved to be a farmer in the Bass 

 district, and during our conversation the Field Naturalists' Club 

 happened to be mentioned. Learning that I was a member, he 

 turned to the subject of the proposed Gun License Act at once,, 

 and informed me that he quite agreed with the proceedings of 

 the Club, except on that point, adding that it would be most 

 unfair to deprive a farmer of the use of his gun, or compel him to 

 pay for it, for the destruction of vermin, &c. I explained to him 

 that should such an Act be passed it would in all probability 

 follow the lines of the English Act, as far as applicable to the 

 colony, and that the English Act permitted every farmer the free 

 use of his gun on his own farm for the purpose of destroying 

 vermin, &c. 



Leongatha was reached at 2.10 p.m., and payment of 5s. 

 secured a seat in the railway contractor's truck as far as Foster. 

 I might add that the return journey from Toora by Victorian 

 Railways only cost 3s. nd. Having some cumbersome luggage 



