Zoology.'] NATURAL HISTORY OF VICTORIA. [Insects. 



distance at the posterior end allows of all the functions necessary for 

 the continuance of the species, and immense numbers of young are 

 brought forth, not in the egg state, as hitherto supposed for all 

 moths, but as exceedingly minute perfect larvse. In confirmation 

 of this unexpected discovery, I may mention that no eggs are ever 

 found in the cases of the species observed in this colony, and the 

 myriads of young produced by each female may be observed emerging 

 in a continuous stream as minute larvae, under circumstances which 

 render it impossible to suppose that eggs could have been deposited. 

 The males of all the Case-Moths, unlike the females, are swift 

 flyers of most extraordinary activity, dashing themselves almost to 

 pieces as soon as they emerge, and they are remarkable also for 

 the unusual elongation of the narrow abdomen, which they lash 

 about and elongate in a most surprising manner. All the species 

 are singularly rare in the moth state considering the abundance of 

 the cases, not one in a hundred of which will be found to produce 

 a moth, the others either dying or being attacked by several species 

 of Ichneumon and also Dipterous parasites. 



Plate 40, Figs. 1-6. 



METURA ELONGATA (Saunders sp.). 



Saunders' Case-Moth. 



[Genus METURA (Walk.). (Sub-kingd. Articulata. Class Insecta. Order Lepidoptera. 

 Section Heterocera. Tribe Bombycites. Ham. Psychidae.) 



Gen. Char. — Male. — Body robust. Head, thorax, and abdomen densely hairy. Palpi short, 

 inconspicuous. Antennae shorter than the thorax, about 40 jointed, widely bipectinated below, 

 serrated towards the apex. Abdomen long, capable of great elongation, extending at least, half 

 its length beyond the posterior wings. Legs strong, anterior pair longest, with long spines to 

 their tibiae ; thighs and tibiae densely pilose. Wings anterior, very narrow, pointed, straight along 

 front edge, external margin very oblique; the usual twelve marginal veins are third and fourth 

 subcostals (2° and 2 d ) at the apex, converge into a fork before the base reaches the upper exterior 

 angle of the discoidal cell, where it joins the next or fifth subcostal (2 e ) ; the next simple upper 

 discoidal branch (x) extends from the middle of end of the discoidal cell ; the lower discoidal 

 vein (y) joins the next median vein (3 C ) as a fork, the base of which, and the next two simple 

 branches* (3 b and 3a), join the discal areolet, which is divided longitudinally by a branching vein 



* On one side in the figured specimen of Metura elongata the branch 3 1 ' is forked, but the corresponding one on the 

 other side has the normal simplicity. 



[ 43 ] 



