1890] THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



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idea of the vast numbers that occur in some districts. 



The apple trees are also attacked by a Tinea which feeds in the 

 bark, and likewise does considerable damage. It is a pretty little 

 species, anterior wings, pure white, with a few slaty black markings ; 

 posterior wings, smoke-colored. 



Among other English species represented here may be mentioned 

 Heliothis armigem, the cosmopolitan D. pulchella, S. couvolvicli, and 

 C. cardui, though the latter appears in a local form called Kershawii — 

 after Mr. Kershaw, of the Melbourne Museum. The spots on the 

 posterior wings of this variety are blue instead of black. It has 

 swarmed here this spring, every street being full of them, and numbers 

 have been seen miles out at sea, while out in the country they were in 

 such quantities that ten or a dozen could be taken with one stroke of the 

 net. Strange to say, the larvae do not feed upon Thistle, which is 

 fairly common here, pushing its way up country in sturdy Scotch 

 fashion, but confine themselves to the " Cape weed," which as its name 

 implies, came from the Cape, and has now spread everywhere to the 

 great detriment of the pastures. 



Here and there among the vast armies of Kershawii, were a few of 

 the beautiful Vanessa itea, which I have christened the Yellow Admiral. 

 In habits it exactly resembles V. atalanta. The larvae are very similar, 

 and also feed upon stinging nettle. In searching for them I found 

 some Plusia larvae very similar to P. gamma, but which produced P. 

 verticillata. 



One of our commonest noctuae is Mamestva uiger, which occurs 

 throughout the summer together with M. composita, for so this moth is 

 named in the museum, but, as the larvae are subterranean and the 

 moth itself more resembles a Xylophasia , I think it ought to be trans- 

 ferred to that genus. 



There is a very interesting dark Abrupt aria -like moth occurring 

 round Melbourne. It is not named in the museum, and I should 

 much like to compare it with the English forms ; it may be a native 

 species, or it may be a variation of introduced Abruptavia. There are 

 plenty of Lilacs about, but these larvae feed on almost anything from 

 Nettle to Shea Oak. 



Our two ermines are both white, one with hardly any spots, the 

 other with plenty and rather inclined to be streaky. I am endeavour- 

 ing to rear a brood at the present time, to see if the Australian species 

 vary in markings like the English ; they are feeding on Knot-grass, 



