1 8G M\\ J. P. M. AVeale's Notes on 



the box. I believe there are more than one species which 

 do this, as I found one on a Rhus with the flowers of that 

 shrub similarly packed. 



Imitators of thorns, excrescences, dead foliage, stems, 

 hark, Si'c. — The larvffi of two moths, one of which is 

 allied to Pyralis, form cases which exactly resemble the 

 thorns of the Acacia, and of Celasfrns huxifolivs. 

 Sometimes a leaflet is attached to the extremity of the 

 thorn. Those larvffi found on the Acacia are very much 

 attacked by Ichneumon-flies, in spite of the deceitful 

 appearance of their case. Indeed, I have found that 

 most protected larvte are thus persecuted by parasites. 

 The moth of this species is commonly found in the day- 

 time nestled among some of the accumulations of dead 

 leaves abundant on this tree, and which are often made use 

 of by various insects for nests. The Acacia is liable to so 

 many diseases and distortions from fungoid growths or 

 boring insects that considerable collections of debris are 

 found on its branches, and these are taken advantage of 

 by various insects more or less darkly-coloured, particu- 

 larly Hcmiptera and spiders. Among the most curious 

 of these is PejjJiricus paradoxus, Avhich closely resembles 

 some of these bundles of dried pinnae. Pi/rops marginata. 

 West., when mature is commonly found on the branches, 

 but its true food plant is Rhynchosia pinnata. 



A species of Mantis {Popa spuroa, Stal), found on 

 various shrubs, is of different shades of brown, and in its 

 different stages of growth, especially when immature, re- 

 sembles dead stalks. 



A Phasmid {Palophus Haworthii, G. R. Gray), found 

 near Cradock, like many of these insects, resembles a dead 

 stick. Several spiders, such as Epe'ira vigilans, and a 

 species of Ccerostus, resemble the dead fragments of bark 

 and broken stems. Pycnacantha hystrix, Thor., a spider 

 found on grass near a thorn tree, bears a wonderful re- 

 semblance to a dead thistle head, which deception is aided 

 by the motionless position of the Arachnid when captured, 

 and is such as. to deceive the most careful observer. 



Among the insects commonly found are several which 

 wonderfully resemble the droppings of birds, and their 

 coloration, as might have been anticipated, is extremely 

 variable. The pupa; of Pieris agathina and P. poppea, 

 the larva3 of which feed on species of Loranthus, have 

 this resemblance, while a small Mantis (^Oxyj)ilus annu- 



