NOTES ON THE LIFE HISTORY OF AN EMERALD MOTH. 165 



Mr. Wickham also states in his notes that " the larva changed colour at different stages," and 

 that although he has watched very closely, he has never seen a true Geometrid cast a skin, but has often 

 seen them change to a distinct colour. " The larva does not vomit, and is very difficult to find, except 

 when shaken from bushes." 



It will be noticed that in the pupa bred by me (Figs. 4, 5), the tip of the abdomen is only a flattened 

 segment, at the end of which are a number of small curved hooks. Although when viewed from the 

 side it has the appearance of a spine, it does not possess the side flukes which Mr. Wickham mentions 

 as being present in his specimen. 



Mr. Geo. Lvell informs me that " the male is rather smaller than the female here figured, and has 

 obscure white dots on both wings, with only the faintest traces of the reddish margins and spots." He 

 also states : " The strange form of the larva is not a surprise, for three at least of these ' Emeralds ' 

 have still stranger forms. Both R. meandraria and E. boisduvalaria, which are southern species, have 

 wide flanges to many of the segments ; they both feed on the Melaleuca. Beating the boughs above 

 an upturned umbrella is the likeliest way of coming across the larvae, and the probability is they are 

 night feeders. As far as I know thev all go into the earth to pupate here in Victoria ; but in the warmer 

 climate of New South Wales more of them may pupate above ground. There ars probably nearly a 

 hundred species of these ' Emeralds ' described from Australia, and many of them are taken around 

 Sydney." 



EXPLANATION OF PLATE XIII. 

 Eucydodes melaspila. Walker. 



Fig. 1. — Dorsal view of a full-grown larva 29 mm. long. 



Fig. 2. — The larva in a characteristic resting attitude. 



Fig. 3. — The loose cocoon in a young shoot of Angophora cordifolia. Natural size. 



Fig. 4. — Dorsal view of the pupa. 



Fig. 5. — Lateral view of the pupa. 



Fig. 6. — The adult moth. (Female.) 



The small figures in each case represent the actual size of the specimens. The figures of the larva 

 and pupa were drawn from the living specimens. 



