184 Mr. G. F. Mathew’s life-histories of 
many a hunt for the larva was unavailing, and at last I 
almost came to the conclusion that they must feed upon 
something else, and that the eaten leaves were due to 
Orthoptera, which, in Australia, seem to devour any- 
thing green. However, one day in September, 1884, 
after a long and weary search, I discovered two old 
cocoons containing fragments of pupa-skins, but could 
find no larve. This was partial success, for it showed 
me | was on the right track, and stimulated me to renew 
my exertions on the occasion of my next visit to the 
locality on October 8rd. On this day I had another long 
hunt, and was just on the point of giving it up in 
despair when suddenly, to my great delight, I saw a large, 
plump, and full-grown larva ensconced ‘low down among 
the stems of the plant, almost at the roots. After this 
I found a half-grown larva and several smaller ones, the 
latter being in little white silken cocoons spun up in the 
concave side of a leaf, about half-way down the stem. 
These, I fancy, were hybernating, although it seemed 
strange that some should be feeding while the others 
were quiescent. Others, too, must have been in the 
pupa state and ready to emerge, for I saw a fresh 
butterfly sitting upon a twig in the neighbourhood of its 
food-plant, but it darted off before I was able to secure 
it. There is a succession of broods, for I subsequently 
took many larve at different times of the year, and 
succeeded in rearing several of the perfect insects. In 
confinement they fed entirely by night, hiding by day 
low down among the stems of their food-plant. They 
grow very slowly. 
On February 28th, 1885, I watched a female as she 
was engaged laying her eggs. She did not seem at all 
particular where she deposited them. The first was 
placed on the stem of the food-plant, about half-way 
down, the second upon a dead stem of the food-plant, 
the third upon a small twig near the root of the food- 
plant, the fourth upon a log of wood some distance off, 
the fifth upon a piece of dead fern, and the sixth upon a 
dried bent. She then flew away. The young larva in 
most of these cases would have to wander for some 
distance to find its food. The egg, which is large in 
comparison to the size of the butterfly, is perfectly 
smooth, globular, and pale greenish yellow. 
The full-grown larva is 40 mm. long and very plump ; 
