78 DESTRUCTIVE INSECTS OF VICTORIA: 



The larva, or caterpillar, of this moth is of a pale 

 pink, frequently changing into a yellow or a pinkish- 

 yellow, with head of a dark brown color, and which is 

 furnished with strong jaws or mandibles. 



The pupa is of a yellowish- white with a brown head, 

 the figures in our plate showing the moth in a resting 

 position, the whole having been drawn from nature. 



Hitherto this moth had confined itself to native 

 trees, suchasMetateuca, Leptospermum, young Eucalypti, 

 Cassinia, &c. ; but of late it has made its appearance in 

 the well-known orchard of Mr. Grant, of Pakenham, 

 Victoria, at which place it bade fair to be terribly 

 destructive to apple-trees especially. 



But, as was to be expected from growers of Mr. 

 Grant's type, the matter was at once reported to the 

 entomologist, the result being that the pest was attacked 

 with such vigour that not a trace of it remained in the 

 orchards. 



Upon examination it was foimd that the female moth 

 deposited her eggs upon the bark of the trees, and, when 

 hatched out, the young larvae crawl into crevices or loose 

 bark, and at once commence to eat their way into the 

 tree attacked. 



In many respects the larva of this moth resembles in 

 its workings the grubs of the well-known ' ' Cherry- 

 borer, n a plate of which is given in a former part of 

 this work. As the larvae increase in size, the damage done 

 is proportionately greater, until at last the tree is so tun- 

 nelled that the affected parts at once commence to die off. 



The presence of these grubs, when in a tree, is easily 

 noticeable by a swelling with a sort of sawdust covering 

 (see plate), this being simply an accumulation of a 

 sawdust-like material enclosed in a delicate web, which 

 latter is, I stispect, intended to form some protection to 

 the grub inside the tree. 



When the perfect moths emerge from the pupae they 

 at once commence to crawl upwards, and cling to the 

 tree, shrub, or whatever they can lay hold of, and will 



