THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 105 



abdomen grey, irrorated with black, with three or four ferruginous 

 dorral tufts, each tuft with a few central grey hairs. Fore-wings 

 elongate, costa nearly straight, rather abruptly angled at base ; 

 hind-margin rounded, waved, somewhat oblique ; grey, darker 

 towards hind-margin. Two slender black transverse lines, first 

 from about ^ of costa to y^ inner margin, twice outwards curved 

 (not dentate) ; a rather indistinct short transverse linear dark-grey 

 discal spot ; second line from nearly V^ of costa to about centre 

 of inner margin, sharply dentate, irregularly curved. A fairly 

 large distinct ferruginous spot near hinder angle, and another, 

 less distinct, about middle of second line ; a fine black hind- 

 marginal line. Cilia dark grey, lighter at base. Hind-wings 

 elongate, hind-margin unevenly rounded, crenate, colour as in 

 fore-wings, but first line and discal spot absent. Immediately 

 beyond the dentate line are three distinct, fairly large ferruginous 

 spots — first, on costa, sometimes very indistinct ; second, about 

 middle ; and third, towards anal angle. Beneath, whitish ; in 

 fore-wings a large dark-greyish discal suffusion ; a very distinct 

 transverse black discal spot, extending to lower angle of cell, and 

 a very broad blackish band, extending to hind-margin. Hind- 

 wings with the blackish band connected with hind-margin, 

 excepting about middle. Inner margin of black band, both in 

 upper and lower wings, waved. 



Expanse — Male, about i inch 6 lines ; female, about i inch 

 ii lines. 



Locality — Narracan, Gippsland. Taken in February and April. 

 Type in National Museum collection. 



The great peculiarity in this moth, by which it can be imme- 

 diately recognized, is the singular manner in which it places its 

 wings when at rest. Instead of resting with the wings spread 

 out in the usual way, it throws its fore-wings forward, with the 

 costal edges just about touching each other, the base of the 

 costa of each wing being rather abruptly sloped off to allow 

 space for the head. The antennae are placed straight forward 

 along the edge of the wings, and the hind-wings are thrown back- 

 wards in a line with the abdomen. The insect rests in this 

 manner with the body and wings closely appressed to the surface 

 on which it alights, and gives to it a rather peculiar appearance. 

 A favourite resting place is the sheltered side of an old fence or 

 paling shed, and the colour of the moth and its surroundings so 

 closely assimilate that it is almost impossible to distinguish it 

 even when closely searching for it, and affords another striking 

 instance of protective resemblance. My father, Mr. VV. Kershaw, 

 who has had the opportunity of seeing the moth on the wing, 

 informs me that it seems to fly in the ordinary manner, and not 

 as we might be led to imagine, with the fore-wings thrown 

 forward and the hind- wings backwards, as in the resting position, 



