102 DESTRUCTIVE INSECTS OF VICTORIA : 



has just brought me (16th July, 1892) one that had 

 hatched from the pupa, but was deformed, and would, of 

 course, fall to the ground, and most likely be devoured 

 by ants. 



When the larvae are newly hatched they are of a dark 

 greenish-black colour ; but, as they increase in size, the 

 colouring becomes very beautiful, the shades of green, 

 yellow, and black being admirably blended, and this, 

 together with the red marks just behind the head, adds 

 greatly to the appearance of the caterpillar. Scattered 

 over the body of the caterpillars are numerous little white 

 hairs, which the lithographer informs me he could not well 

 produce on the plate here attached. 



The pupa (see Fig. 3) is oval, somewhat sharpened 

 at one end, and this is enclosed in a thin crust of soil. 

 (The figure on our plate is not at all good, having been 

 injured in the printing.) The perfect moth is a very 

 handsome insect (see Figs. 2 and 2A, natural size). The 

 wings are black, or nearly so, with yellowish-white mark- 

 ings. The posterior end of the abdomen terminates in a 

 sort of orange buff-coloured tuft, which greatly adds to 

 its beauty (see Figs. 2 and 2A). When the caterpillars 

 of this moth make their appearance they are, as I have 

 said before, very small, but very voracious. In the course 

 of a day or two they change greatly in size and colour. 

 When full grown, about the size shown at Fig. 1, they are 

 terribly destructive to vines. They strip the leaves as 

 completely as if done with a pair of scissors, commencing 

 from the outside of the leaf and eating towards the mid- 

 rib, which is often left standing quite bare. In the case 

 of young shoots, the full-grown grub will sometimes make 

 a clean sweep of these as well, and with young vines a 

 bad attack from these pests will not infrequently kill the 

 plant altogether. 



In connexion with this particular Vine Moth it may be 

 observed that this is but another instance, unfortunately 

 not an uncommon one, of an insect forsaking its native 

 food for something which is no doubt easier eaten and 

 much more palatable. 



