114 



THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



of the nervures which He within this band, a powdering of bhie 

 or yellowish scales. The blue spot on the anal angle assumes 

 larger dimensions. 



Under side.— The blue between the white costal patch and the 

 red band of the fore wing becomes conspicuously increased. 



The black transverse shades that intersect the red band, 

 which becomes tinged with violet, are here also well marked. 

 The hind wings assume a washed-out, confused pattern, and 

 show throughout, but especially on the outer and anterior border, 

 a well-marked lightening of colour, due to an abundant infusion 

 of yellow and blue tints. 



(2) Forty-two days in ice-box, the butterflies appearing at 

 the normal temperature 12 — li days afterwards. 



Twelve pup^ yielded ten almost normal perfect insects. One 

 pupa succumbed to the conditions of the experiment. 



The eleventh butterfly resembled the extremely abnormal 

 forms already described ; the white costal patch on the fore 

 wing, however, instead of being enlarged, was slighter than in 

 normal specimens. 



(To be continued.) 



AUSTRALIAN HEPIALIDiE. 



By a. Sidney Olliff, 

 Government Entomologist, New South Wales. 



The brihiantiy-coloured ghost-moths, so well known to every 

 lepidopterist in Australia and New Zealand under the name 

 Cliaragia, have been obtained in more than usual numbers during 

 the past two seasons, a fact which it is no fancy to attribute in a 

 large measure to the recent disastrous strikes in the Newcastle 

 coal trade. The enforced idleness of many of the mines, and the 

 consequent want of employment, have given much unwelcome 

 leisure to the small band of miner-collectors on whom we chiefly 

 depend for our supply of specimens, and they have not been slow 

 to avail themselves of the opportunity to devote some of their 

 time to collecting the wood-eating Lepidoptera which make their 

 homes in the scrublands of the Lower Hunter River. 



It is rarely that more than worn and solitary specimens of 

 these giant ghost-moths are obtained by any but resident 

 collectors, as they are very retiring and sluggish in their habits; 

 but it is comparatively easy to breed the larvae in captivity, pro- 

 vided that the wood in which they are living is not cut until they 

 are nearly full-grown ; and it is by leaving the game untouched, 

 and returning to cut out the portion of wood containing the grub 

 when the inmate has turned, or is about to turn, to the pupal 

 stage, that the collector is best able to secure satisfactory results. 



