26 LIFE HISTORY OF TIMUER MOTHS. 



these caterpillars, the hodies of which are very fat and succulent. 

 The traces of bush rats also have been noted, so that it is sus- 

 pected they are likewise toothsome morsels to these animals. 

 However, they are safe enough in some woods from animals, for 

 none seem to attack them in the daphnandra tree, which is hard, 

 and probably poisonous. Another enemy of a more insidious 

 character is the caterpillar of a small moth allied to or belonging 

 to the Galleriadae (the bee moth group or family), which attacks 

 the chrysalis immediately after the change from the larval state 

 apparently (how it gets in at present requires elucidation). Its 

 presence is known by a web of frass leading into the burrow 

 through the operculum, which it has gnawed through at the edge. 

 This motli is technically described by Dr. T. P. Lucas in the last 

 Transactions of the Society under the name of Melissoblaptes 

 parasiticus. Amongst other foes must also be mentioned a clerid 

 beetle, Natalis sp., the grub of which is occasionally found in 

 dead and half-devoured larvae. In one of the boxes, in which 

 were some pupae sealed up in the wood which had been brought 

 home for the purpose of rearing out the huge gray goat moth, a 

 still larger clerid beetle made its appearance, and a day or two 

 later another was found, and as the moths did not come out it is 

 probable these insects are parasitic upon them. 



The Hepialidae, Zeuzeridae, Cossidae, and Xyloryctidae all 

 make cylindrical chambers of various sizes in the wood of living 

 trees, but, whereas in the first three closely-related families they 

 do not leave these chambers until after the last transformation 

 takes place, in the last the larva comes out at night time, and 

 travels about in search of food, carrying leaves to its den to feed 

 upon ; the others live either upon the woody tissue or the sappy 

 matter of the tree. However, if not structurally related, some of 

 the xylos approach very closely in habits to the hepialids, for at 

 least one species has often misled me into the error of attaching it 

 as a hepialid, for it spins a web like them, appears never to leave 

 its burrow, feeds upon the sappy matter, and seals up with a 

 similar operculum before pupating. Again, several species of 

 xylos also have the pupa, though it does not protrude from the 

 burrow, force away the operculum closing the entrance, as does 

 Charagia and Eudoxyla, before changing to the imago. Also as 

 there are forms amongst the Xylorycts which spin cocoons, so- 



