BY ROWI.AXD ILLIIXIE. 



25 



heavily laden with eggs is somewhat sluggish. Males Avhich 

 have occasionally escaped always fly very swiftly obliqiiely iip- 

 wai'ds until out of sight; females generally horizontally or down- 

 wards, and are usually recaptured. If left in the rearing cages, 

 they very soon knock themselves to pieces by flying heavily 

 against the sides. 



Amongst special adornments of these fine insects must be 

 mentioned the beautiful feathery like tufts on the posterior 

 tibiae of the males. 



Many of the species of Charagia (in the males only) are 

 possessed of scent glands. The daphnaudra moth is particularly 

 noteworthy in this respect, as it exhales a most fragrant perfume, 

 and is very pleasant to handle. Unfortunately a few weeks after 

 death this quite disappears, but all the time it remains in the 

 setting boxes to dry, and for some time after, the odour is very 

 Jipparent on opening them, and is somewhat like attar of roses. 

 Not so is this the case, however, with the superb Ramsay's 

 hepialid, the odour of which has a disagreeable goat-like smell. 



The disease with which these insects are chiefly affected is a 

 fungus known as " vegetable caterpillar," which changes all the 

 tissues of the creature into a cork-like sul)stance, and completely 

 and naturally mummifies them in their chambers. The fungus 

 spreading outwardly from the entrance assumes an inverted 

 umbrella-like form, and is almost snowy white. It attacks both 

 caterpillar and chrysalis, and so prevalent was this disease a 

 couple of years back (about 1895 or 1890) that I not only lost 

 quite three-fourths of my specimens in process of rearing, but 

 found the same state of aftairs amongst them in their natural 

 haunts, especially so in the scrubs. By placing some portions 

 of this fungus inside the web of a healthy caterpillar the disease 

 is communicable with certainty, and it is also dangerous to alloAV 

 any infected ones to remain in the receptacles with healthy 

 specimens. 



Enemies are fairly numerous, but unlike the Xylorycts, the 

 Hepialids do not appear to suffer from the attacks of ichneumons. 

 Amongst birds, black cockatoos are fond of them, and tear away 

 the wood with their strong bills to get the larvae out. Opossums, 

 especially the ringtail, will also gnaw away the wood in quest of 



