TRILOCHA FICICOLA. 43 



his own words, it has " a good larval appetite for vine 

 leaves." 



In this case there would be little difficulty (conjecturally) 

 in getting rid of it by handpicking, as the great size of 

 the caterpillars causes them to be easily seen, even by 

 faint light at night. In Britain they usually hide by 

 day and come out to feed at night, and when full fed go 

 down under ground to turn to chrysalids, and stirring 

 the surface of the soil deep enough to turn out these 

 chrysalids would be a thorough preventive of recurrence 

 of attack continued from one year to another on 

 vineyards. 



No mention is made of means used to stop entrance 

 of the moth into bee-hives, but probably the old-fashioned 

 English method of lessening the size of the entrance 

 just for a time is practised. In any case a lump of clay 

 (or anything not annoying to the tenants), which would 

 make the entrance too small for the enemy to enter, or 

 small enough for the occupiers to defend, would stop 

 thefts.* 



FAM. BOMBYCIDJE, 

 TRILOCHA FICICOLA (Westw.) (Fig. 20.) 



The specimens figured (p. 44) show the imago, cater- 

 pillar, and chrysalis cocoon of a small brownish moth, 

 of which the caterpillars do much damage to the leaves 

 of the fig trees at Port Elizabeth, South Africa. The 

 notes from which the following paper was formed were 

 kindly forwarded to me by Mr. S. D. Bairstow from 

 Port Elizabeth (where the habits of the Fig Moth were 



* The caterpillars of some other species of the Sphinx moths are 

 injurious to vine leafage in Canada, and, as they may possibly occur in 

 Cape Colony as similarly injurious, it would be well, in case of their 

 occurrence being noticed, to have observations of their habits. These go 

 into chrysalis state respectively underground; in the ground at a 

 moderate depth; amongst rubbish on the ground; in a cell on the 

 surface ; or, in one instance, in a light web binding a leaf together ; and 

 could be destroyed accordingly. 



