THE GEELONG NATURALIST. ر‎ > 57 
pillars, green, with round spots along the body. | These 
-caterpillars are said to have a great liking for dahlias. I have 
never reared this moth, so cannot say if they make a cocoon 
Or no. i 
Cherocampa Celerio (Linn). The Vine Hawk Moth I have 
‚also taken here, but find them not so plentiful as the suffused 
Hawk Moth. I remember the first Vine Moth caterpillar I 
found, it was on the vines at Highton before the vineyards were 
destroyed by Government; I found a large green caterpillar 
with two lemon spots on the sides of the head, and put it into a 
„jam tin on a shelf, and forgot all about it until one day I heard 
a great noise in the tin, opening the lid cautiously, I saw a 
beautiful moth with perfect plumage. How to kill it without 
destroying its beauty, puzzled me, until I thought of putting 
some boiling water into a bucket, and standing the tin in it, 
taking care the water did not get into the tin, this killed 
the insect in a few seconds, In the Victorian Naturalist, 
Mr. E. Anderson says :—“ These species make a frail cocoon 
of dried leaves, moss, &c., formed together with a few silken . 
threads. That there are several broods in the year, November 
and December being the most favourable times for the cater- 
pillars, and January and February for the moths.’ He also 
says:—“ The insect is peculiar in being able to produce a 
squeaking noise, a very unusal power for a moth to possess, 
although the Death’s Head Moth of Europe is credited with 
having the same power.” Our Vine Hawk Moth is supposed to 
be the same as the European species, but there is a doubt on 
this point until we learn its life history. There are two other 
‚Hawk Moths that are sometimes taken in Victoria, Cherocampa 
Erotus and O. pinastrina (Martyn), but these I have not seen 
in this district. 
Of the family Agaristada of which the common Vine Moth 
—Agarista glycine (Linn) whose caterpillars are so destructive 
amongst our vines, I have little to say, as nearly everybody 
about here knows the pretty yellow and purplish black moth 
which frequents our gardens in spring and summer. Both 
A. Glycine and A. Lewini are very plentiful in the orchards at 
Deans Marsh in September and November. A. Lewini appear 
tolike the low lying ground better than the hills, and I could 
always find them on the green flats between the hills, while 
Glycine were flying around the apple tree blossoms in 
hundreds, these make their appearance a little earlier than 
A. Lewini, and may be distinguished by the difference in marking; 
in A. Glycine, the under wings are black with a lemon border 
, with no centre spot, and the marking on the edge of the- upper 
wing are little stripes, itis also a largerinsect than 4. Lewints 
A. Lewini being marked with a:single lemon. spot. in: the under 
