THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 183 



It is strange to note how the larvae of P. kershawi prefer the 

 Cape Weed (Cryptostemma calendulacea) , an introduced plant, to 

 any indigenous food plant, and a study of the early stages is, I 

 think, the only way by which we may settle this question. Mean- 

 while 1 prefer regarding P. kershawi (M'Coy) as a distinct 

 species. 



The second instance is the moth Porina fuscomaculata, a 

 species pretty generally distributed throughout Victoria. In 

 a typical form the ground colour of this insect is dark 

 fuscous or occasionally inclining to cinerous ochreous ; fore 

 wings brownish grey, mixed with cinerous. Being a somewhat 

 plentiful insect, it allows a good scope for observations regarding 

 variation. I have taken many specimens on the wing showing 

 great differences, and in May, 1889, succeeded in rearing 

 some larvae from eggs deposited by a typical P. fuscomaculata. 

 From these I obtained twenty-three moths, eighteen of which were 

 ordinary forms, while five were abnormal. The fore wings of the 

 latter were light grey, mottled and banded with cinerous, dark 

 fuscous, and white markings. The hind wings were almost 

 entirely white, distinctly showing the course of the nervures, with 

 several oblique bands of ground colour near the abdominal margin. 

 Had these five insects been taken on the wing their identification 

 might have caused me some little trouble. Specimens and 

 drawings are on view this evening. 



The third example I shall refer to to-night is the Ermine 

 Moth, or moths, as it is a question whether tfpilosoma obliqua and 

 S. fulvohirta are identical or not. As far as my experience goes, 

 I am forced to the conclusion that the latter is only a variety of 

 the former, inasmuch as I have reared undoubted S. fulvohirta 

 from ova deposited by a typical S. obliqua. Mr. Ernest Anderson, 

 in a paper read before this Club, and published in the Victorian 

 Naturalist, vol. ix., page 80, has recorded similar facts. I find if 

 the pupa of S. obliqua be kept in the dark, 20 per cent, of the 

 imagos will emerge as \yo\ca\julvoliirta. The results of further 

 observations regarding these moths I hope to bring before the 

 Club on some future occasion. Meanwhile I incline to the name 

 Spilosoma obliqua, var. fulvohirta, for the dark Ermine. 



In conclusion, I trust these few remarks will be sufficient to 

 indicate the direction for further scientific investigation, and 

 to induce others to bring their observations before this Club. 



THE '• FLORA AUSTRALIENSIS." 



We are pleased to learn that the publication of a completing 

 volume to Bentham's " Flora Australiensis " is likely to be 

 shortly undertaken in Melbourne. It has long been the 



