12G [June, 



week before making any attempt to leave them. One of them nibbled 

 off minute pieces of paper, and attached them neatly to the exterior 

 of its case. On November 5th last, we were seated around the table 

 in the evening, when one of these larvae came down, looper-like, close 

 to the lamp, suspended by a strong silken thread. It was the first 

 occasion on which we observed this habit in L. omnivora. We watched 

 it patiently letting go the thread, and descending gently by slow, 

 short jerks. Although it was in no way molested, it only descended 

 about nine inches further, when it ceased to descend, withdrew into 

 the case and closed it. It was somewhat difficult to note its actions 

 accurately, as while it was descending the case kept revolving at a 

 good pace. We observed that the thread passed up the right side of 

 the head from between the two front legs, which, along with the 

 mouth, were kept active during the process of descent. After resting 

 about half an hour, it again gently opened the case, and slowly com- 

 menced to ascend the thread by a hand-over-hand-like process. It 

 would ascend for an inch and half or two inches, and then stop 

 instantly to manipulate the accumulated thread, sometimes jerking 

 slightly down before recommencing the ascent. When we left it at 

 11 o'clock it had ascended about twenty-one inches. By 6.30 in the 

 morning it was on the ceiling, several feet away from the place the 

 thread was attached to the previous night. The full length of the 

 thread was about five feet 



Two years ago L. omnivora appeared in another new character in 

 this district, viz., a garden pest. In August, 1896, a farmer friend 

 brought me a handful of large specimens of the cases containing 

 health}^ larvae, and at the same time enquired what they were. I 

 informed him that they were the native basket moth, and that they 

 were interesting and harmless creatures. My friend, who hails from 

 the Emerald Isle, strongly repudiated my remarks, and declared that 

 they were "well named," as they had ''put all the buds on his rasp- 

 berry canes in their basket." A week afterwards I visited his garden, 

 and found them numerous on the well grown canes, which they had 

 severely injured by consuming the healthy buds. 



Judging from the number of non-parasitized larvae, I believe they 

 are now less subject to attacks than formerly. L. omnivora furnishes 

 a striking example of hyperparasitism among native moths. The sub- 

 ject has been accurately and perfectly dealt wath by Mr. G. V. Hudson 

 (N. Z. Journal of Science, 1885), and should be studied by all who 

 prosecute this line of research. In confining these larvae to certain 

 plants, we find that larger cases and finer moths of both sexes are 



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