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torted growth, or perhaps entirely destroy the young shoot; leaves 
are also attacked, but the grubs appear to prefer the soft young 
bark and buds. 
Besides the vine this insect attacks the apple, quince, peach, 
and many other fruit, grasses and wild plants; sometimes a plant 
is entirely denuded of its leaves, or left with a few stalks and frag- 
ments of leaves. A tree or vine is occasionally practically ring- 
barked from the numerous patches that have been eaten. They 
hibernate in the soil and come forth in the spring in search of food. 
The larva is thick and fleshy, and larger near the head than 
towards the tail. On being touched it curls itself up and feigns 
death; after a short period it straightens itself, and moves along by 
contracting the high segments and elongating the front ones, the 
motion being somewhat jerky. It is of a dirty sandy brown colour, 
with a feeble stripe running along the back, and two still more feeble 
ones at the sides; the head is shining, the under-surface is of a dirty 
grey colour, and paler than above. There are five pairs of prolegs 
placed on the apical segments; the breathing holes (or spiracles) at 
the sides are small, black and distinct. The body is almost without 
hairs, a few short ones being situate near the anus and on the sides. 
The exerement is black. In captivity the larve will frequently 
devour one another, even when supplied with an abundanee of food. 
The pupe are pale brown in colour, with a small spine at the end: 
they are usually to be found in the situation as the larve, and are 
usually (but not always) enclosed in a small silken cocoon, which 
is generally densely covered with sand and easily broken; around 
the wall of the residence on Rottnest Island I noticed, in the early 
summer, that cocoons of this species were clustered in lumps of 
from five to 20; they broke to pieces almost at a touch and the 
enclosed pupz fell out. The moth itself measures about an inch 
across the expanded wings, the front ones are pale brown in colour, 
and mottled with darker brown and grey, the hind wings are almost 
white, with brown shadings towards the edges, the ribs (or veins) 
are brown, and the outer fringe of hairs is white. The egg is small, 
clustered on the bark; somethimes they are laid in rows, or ocea- 
sionally scattered here and there. 
x 
There are several parasites that hunt and destroy the larve, 
the most plentiful being a moderately large Chaleid wasp: there 
are also two species of Ichneumon, and several flies. 
Remedies——Bait poison, No. 16. Caution: Great care must be 
taken that fowls and stock do not get at the bait. 
Hawk Motus (Chaerocampa celerio and others). 
The larve of several species of sphinx moths feed on the 
leaves of the grape vine. Some of these moths are very handsome, 
and with wings expanded will measure from two to four inches 
