IMPORTED INSECTS 83 



wool, hair, and feathers. Sheep's wool is frequently found 

 incorporated in their nests, or used for the lining, and one 

 fan-tail's nest that I found was lined with dingo's hair. 

 The nests are placed in bushes or shrubby trees, without 

 much attempt at concealment, are all neatly made, and 

 much resemble each other in general appearance. 



Several Australian butterflies and other insects are 

 identical with European species ; but when I drew the 

 attention of an English entomologist to this fact, he sug- 

 gested that these are imported species, the chrysalises 

 having, in the first place, been sent out from the old 

 country in bags and bundles of seeds, etc. This is a very 

 reasonable explanation, and is probably a correct one. 

 Among the species which are quite common in many parts 

 of New South Wales I may mention the following : the 

 white admiral {Limenitis Camilla)^ the meadow-brown 

 {Epinephele janira), the purple hairstreak {Thecla quereus)^ 

 copperstreak {Polyommatus phleas), the skipper {Painphilea 

 silvanus)y the tortoise-shell ( Vanessa polychlorus), and some 

 others which I am not able to so clearly define. The 

 cosmopolitan painted-lady {Pyrameis cardui) may be 

 indigenous to Australia, though I think this improbable. 

 The spike-winged butterfly {Erycina aulestes) and a few 

 others are certainly American. 



English grasshoppers {Meconema varium) and the great 

 migratory locust {Pachytylus migratorius) sometimes make 

 their appearance in menacing numbers ; but whether the 

 latter comes over the sea or breeds from imported eggs 

 or larvae I have not been able to ascertain. That the 

 English grasshoppers, of several species, are imported, is 

 certain. 



Of native insects several are as peculiar to the country 

 as are the marsupials and monotremes. Not the least 

 remarkable is the huge giant-moth {Zelotypia stacyi), which 

 often measures as much as nine or ten inches in spread of 

 wing. The moth with wings closed, and when sitting on 

 a branch, measures from four to five inches long. The 

 general colour of the body and under wings is light reddish, 

 with some dusky and black markings. The upper wings 



