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the patch each morning and remove all the infected individuals. 

 It is almost impossible to induce these larva? to feed in con- 

 finement, and I conclude their long journey each night is 

 necessary for their healtli. The larva? of Matarbela sp. exactly 

 resemble the droppings of birds, and is also armed with a tele- 

 scopic appendage that lies prone upon the back when at rest. 

 As soon however as the caterpillar is touched, it whips this 

 structure backwards and forwards, behaving like the larva? of 

 Cerura vinula, although the appendage is in quite a different 

 position and placed far more anteriorly. This caterpillar is the 

 most curious of any I have yet seen. The larva of Homo2)tera 

 ylaucinans — a green and silver half-looper — almost exactly 

 resembles the stem of the Acacia upon which it feeds. The 

 caterpillar of Xephele variegaia in its young stages is reddish- 

 brown, exactly like the young leaves of its food-plant, the 

 fig-tree. It turns green in its last stage, thus reversing the 

 history of the colour-changes in almost all the Sphingida?. In 

 spite of its strong cryptic colouring it is one of the most 

 icbneumoned larva? with which I am acquainted. B'mia:a 

 caffraria and belina are most conspicuous larva?, and birds will 

 not eat either, although they are very fond of another species 

 of the same genus, Bunsea tyrrhenx, which exactly resembles 

 the colouring of the leaves of its food-plant. In sjjite of its 

 size this caterpillar is so difficult to find that it is necessary to 

 look for the fieces upon the ground, and then carefully to 

 search the under-side of the branches over the spot. It is inter- 

 esting to note that the eggs of this species are laid upon the 

 upper-side of the leaves, whereas those of the other Bunteas 

 with freely-exposed larva? are always placed upon the under-side. 

 The caterpillar of Aryema mimosee, is also very difficult to 

 detect and exactly resembles its food-plant in colour, although 

 the beautiful silvery cocoons are very conspicuous upon the 

 bare twigs of the trees during the winter months. The larva? 

 of Gononieter postica, Metanastria cuneilinea, Jana edulis, Ludia 

 delayorguei, and L. smilax are all extremely conspicuous, and 

 sting very badly. They are attacked by ichneumons, but birds, 

 etc. always avoid them. In fact I do not know any yellow 

 and black or black and white larvte which birds will eat, and 

 these are by far the commonest colours for larva? out here. 



