X04 
THE GEELONG NATURALIST. 
NOTES ON THE EMPEROR MOTH. 
By Mr E. Leag. 
Tre caterpillar of the Emperor Moth is to be seen feeding on the 
pepper-trees this month (October) ; they do not appear to do much 
damage. When full grown the caterpillar is from 2$ to 3 inches in 
length; in colour a light pea green adorned with blue spikes tipped 
with red on the sides. They are from 12 to 14 days in the cater- 
pillar state. Before they enter that of the chrysalis, they turn a 
deep red colour, and contract themselves till they are about half 
their original size. The casing of the chrysalis is of a greyish 
colour, and is very strong and hard, and attached very firmly to the 
bark of the tree. The chrysalis itself is black in colour. The 
moth makes its escape from the chrysalis about four weeks after 
the latter has been formed. When breaking through the case the 
moth leaves a brownish fluid behind, after which it crawls away to 
some place where it can hang down and develop its wings and dry 
itself. The wings are fully developed in the course of three hours. 
Very shortly afterwards the female commences to lay her eggs; 
one moth I observed to lay about 40 eggs, in patches consisting of 
from 10 to 15 eggs each. 
The moth ayerages from 4 to 5 inches across the wings; the 
male differs from the female by being lighter in colour, and by 
having heavily feathered antennæ; the female is the darker in 
colour, and has the antenns lightly feathered. Colour, brown with 
spots on the fore wings; under wings, brown with red spots circled 
with dark rings of two black lines; body, brown with 6 black spots 
on each side. 
. In the month of January the caterpillar is again to be observed 
feeding on the pepper-trees, thus forming the second brood of the 
season. Again in April I observed the caterpillar again on the 
same trees, making the third brood for the season. 
A TALK ABOUT TOADSTOOLS. 
By Henry Tuos. Tisparz, F.L.S. 
I once saw in an old cookery book a receipt for preparing 
hares for the dinner table, it began thus:—‘ First catch your 
hare," and so I should like to commence with: Where should we be 
likely to find toadstools? 
Unfortunately, I am little acquainted with the country in the 
immediate vicinity of modern Guat: but when I was living there 
some 35 years ago, I remember taking long walks up the Barwon 
and along the Moorabool rivers and towards Fyansford, and even 
then I was struck with the quantities of toadstools growing at the 
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