THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 149 



incessant shrill song of the large green Cicada, Cyclochila 

 australasice, Don., numbers of which were seen in the small gum 

 saplings along the line. A variety of this species, having a black 

 abdomen and black markings on the head and thorax, was 

 frequently met with. This variety has recently been separated 

 from the typical form under the name of Cyclochila spreta, God. 

 and Frogg. Intermediate forms, however, are occasionally met 

 with, which causes one to doubt the necessity for separating these 

 two forms. Little opportunity occurred for collecting until we had 

 passed Upwey station, when we found some isolated clumps of 

 Leptospermum scoparmm in full flower. Most of these yielded 

 a fair supply of insects, but only a limited number of species. 



The common lively little Mordellids, Mordella communis, 

 Waterh,, and M. inornata, Lea., were present in great numbers, 

 and among others we took three species of Buprestids, two 

 species of Longicorns, and a good number of the tiny little 

 Cetonid, Valgus laj)eyreusei, Gory. The pretty green moths, 

 known as " Foresters," Procris viridipulverulenta and 

 F. subdolosa, which are so fond of flying in the hot 

 sunshine, were also found on the flowers of this shrub. 

 In places the brilliant little jumping beetle, Haltica pagana, 

 covered the heads of the common rushe?, in company with the 

 well-known white Rush Moth, Scirjjophaga ^^atidella, Walk., and 

 an odd specimen here and there of Uuryspa vittata, Baly., a 

 beetle which seems to confine itself to this plant. It was here 

 we saw our first Skipper butterfly, Hesperilla donnysa, and 

 shortly afterwards captured our first butterfly, Epi^iejjhile abeona, 

 Don., a fine specimen. A short time was devoted to searching 

 among the Sword Grass (Cladium) for the larvge and pupse of 

 Skippers, with, however, no success. We then decided to leave 

 the railway, and follow a rather rough road leading to Sassafras 

 Creek, some three or four miles distant. Some log-rolling was 

 indulged in whenever opportunity off'ered, but very little was 

 obtained in this way. Before we had gone very far the weather 

 became dull and the sky clouded over, and what few insects had 

 been on the wing or on the flowering shrubs now seemed to 

 disappear. 



We now had lunch and a rest in a beautiful fern gully 

 near the road, and then followed the track to Sassafras Creek, 

 turning logs, searching under bark, and, as far as was possible, 

 among the undergrowth, with very little success. The bush fires 

 of last summer had traversed most of this part of the country, 

 and seems to have spoilt the district as a collecting ground for 

 some time to come. Nearly all the logs lying on the ground 

 were charred, and very little life of any kind was to be found 

 under them. Not a single land planarian was seen during the day. 

 After spending a short time working the more open parts along 



