NEW PLUME-MOTH. 31 



Habits of Imago. — The moth seems to fly naturally from about 

 half an hour before to just after sunset, and again in the morning 

 until about half an hour after sunrise : the flight is fairly swift, but 

 gentle and floating, and not sustained. If flying naturally they 

 rarely seem to fly more than a yard or so at a time, and not more 

 than four or five yards if disturbed. They stop with a jerk and 

 pitch on a grass stem, flower head, leaf, &c., with the wings roUed 

 up and stuck out at right angles on either side, and the long spurred 

 hind legs projecting upwards between the wings and abdomen. 



I have never yet seen two in copula. Perhaps they pair after 

 sunset, remain coupled aU night, and separate at sunrise, the female 

 ovipositing nfext evening. 



Even in localities where it is abundant, T. palvdicola is a very 

 inconspicuous little insect, and there are so many small Rhynchota 

 and Diptera extremely similar to it when on the wing and abundant 

 in the same habitats that it is at first by no means easy to distinguish 

 it even when one is on the look out for this particular " Plume." 

 Its jerky floating flight will, however, soon become familiar to any 

 one who is searching for it. 



The moth is never to be found away from the immediate vicinity 

 of the Drosera. 



Time of Appearance. — The moth was first found by me in the 

 beginning of October, 1906. On my return to Diyatalawa at the end 

 of July, 1907, it was quite common, and has remained on the wing 

 quite abundantly up to the time of ^^Titing, and during the whole of 

 this period the larva has been found in all stages, so that it appears 

 probable that this species is continuous-brooded throughout the year. 



Habitat. — Ceylon, Province of Uva, Diyatalawa (4,000 feet). 

 July to October, and probably throughout the year. 



Mr. Meyrick informs me (in litt.) that he has also received this 

 species from the Khasi Hills, Assam. 



Enemies. — Amongst the agencies destructive to this species must 

 be reckoned the human inhabitants of the districts in which it occurs ; 

 these burn off the grass, &c., of the patanas regularly, and these 

 constant fires must destroy vast numbers of T. paludicola in all its 

 stages. Luckily, however, for the moth, it is never likely to be 

 wholly exterminated by this means, since the vegetation of the boggy 

 valleys, which form its headquarters, is usually too lush to burn. 



The adult moth is preyed on by a small crab spider (Thomisidce) 

 which lives on the seed heads of grasses, with whose colour it agrees 

 exactly. 



The larva faUs a victim to a small blackish Ichneumonid, which 

 emerges from the larva when it is fuU grown, and spins a smaU oval 

 pale yellow silken cocoon on the Drosera flower stalk or on a neigh- 

 bouring piece of grass or occasionally on a Drosera leaf. Mr. E. 

 Ernest Green, to whom I had sent some paludicola larvae, was lucky 



