60 



INSECT PESTS 



marblings, the hind wings being smoky brown, paler at 

 the base where they join the thorax, and having the veins 

 picked out in dark lines. The egg is laid on the under- 

 side of the leaves and soon hatches into a brownish yellow, 

 unpleasant-looking caterpillar which has a habit of 

 cocking up its head and tail when disturbed. There 

 does not seem to be any sure method of diverting its 

 activities. The true food of the Cabbage Moth is dock, 

 goosefoot and several other weeds, and it may be that 

 these native plants have become stunted down and 



Enemy O't 



Of ~>i>ia 





Plate Ha. 

 Small Cabbage Butterfly, etc. 



changed by agriculture's demands and so the Cabbage 

 Moth comes to the larger feast at our expense. It is 

 an insect which is well able to accommodate itself to a 

 varied diet, but unless we can find a way of making our 

 cabbage and kale distasteful to it, we must resort to 

 armed offensive, for this tiresome creature is wasteful 

 as well, and spoils far more than it eats. As a Noctuid 

 or night-flying moth the perfect insect is not so much in 

 evidence. The eggs should, however, be sought for at 

 the beginning of the summer season, and later the larvae 

 may be washed out with weak salt and water, or Ume- 

 water. In the course of its growth this larva undergoes 



