THE VINE MOTH. 103 



The specific name, as given by Lewin, is derived from 

 a twining plant, Glycine^ which grows in and around 

 Sydney, also in many other parts of New South Wales ; 

 Ibut within a good distance of Melbourne we have but one 

 species of this plant, viz., Glycine clandestine^, a slender 

 lavender-blue flowered twiner, which at any time one may 

 see for themselves. 



How long this moth has been in Victoria, or whether 

 it is indigenous, I am not prepared to say, but I can well 

 remember having seen it near Melbourne in the early part 

 of 1855, but I believe it was here much earlier than that, 

 and certainly there were no plants of the New South 

 Wales species of Glycine then growing near Melbourne, 

 so that it was evidently not confined to any one particular 

 food plant. Professor McCoy, however, tells us that 

 before the introduction of the Vine Moth into Victoria, 

 the larvsB fed on a species of Gnaphalium, one of the 

 common "everlasting" flowers, but for our purpose this, 

 of course, matters very little. 



The flight of the Vine Moth is somewhat heavy, 

 and it may be easily captured by means of a roughly- 

 made net. They are gregarious, and the perfect insect 

 may often be found in vast numbers hovering over 

 the flowers of many kinds well known in gardens. 

 After careful observation I could not detect the female 

 in the act of depositing her eggs upon any plants other 

 than vines. 



Prevention and Remedies. 



Catch or damage as many of the perfect moths as 

 possible, this to prevent egg-laying. If the moths are 

 but injured in any way so that they cannot fly, they soon 

 fall a prey to the numerous ants, which are always on the 

 look-out for disabled insects of any kind, and butterflies 

 and moths in particular. When ants come across a 

 moth which has been damaged so much as to impede its 

 flight, you will see them trotting around the helpless 

 insect until it would appear that they had made up their 

 minds as to how their prey was to be tackled. This is 



