14 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



tendency to division. The apex of this terminal joint takes the 

 stain very deeply. The 5th and 6th are always markedly 

 narrower than the preceding joints. The most commonly 

 repeated formula is : — 

 A. — 8 (1, 2), 3, (4, 5, 6, 7), 4 and 5 being more or less confluent, 

 Other varieties are : — 



B.— (8, 1, 2), 3, 4, (5. 6 > 7)- 

 C— 8 (1, 2), 3 (5, 7), (4, 6). 



And in an example where the division between 4 and 5 is 

 completely suppressed, reducing the number of antennal joints 

 to 7, the formula reads : — 



D.— 7 (i, 2), 3, 4 (5, 6). 



Anal ring with 6 stout hairs. 



Foot with 4 digitules, all fine knobbed hairs, those on tarsus 

 longest ; the unguals reaching only slightly beyond tip of claw. 

 Tarsus very short, about yi length of tibia. Tibia rather less 

 than Y length of femur and trochanter together. 



Average length of insect, 2.50 mm. 



The adult female is partly enclosed in a mass of pure white 

 cotton, subglobular in shape, deeply and distinctly segmented. 



This insect threatens to become a very serious pest to Acacia 

 dealbata. It has already killed many trees, and other trees about 

 Myrniong are simply alive with the larvae, which are active and 

 crawl about in great companies, the ground underneath the 

 trees in many instances being quite white. 



[Since the above paper was read Mr. Lidgett has received a 

 communication from Mr. E. Ernest Green, in which he says he 

 is disposed to separate Eriochiton melaleucce and E. cajani from 

 the genus Eriochiton and include them in Cockerell's genus 

 Ceroplastodes. — Ed. Vict. Nat.'] 



THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF VICTORIA. 

 Acting on the suggestion of the editor of the Naturalist, I am 

 glad to have the opportunity of laying before its readers the 

 following brief account of the changes which are now being made 

 in regard to the National Museum buildings and the collection 

 of objects of natural history which had been brought together by 

 the late Sir F. M'Coy. 



As is well known to all of us who have taken any interest in 

 this institution, the building hitherto devoted to the display of 

 the collection has been quite inadequate in size for this purpose, 

 nor did it appear possible to sufficiently extend it upon the 

 limited site allotted to the Museum in the University grounds. 

 Added to this there was the undoubted fact that in its old 

 position it was too far removed from the centre of population, 



