184 THE AUSTRALIAN NATURALIST 
LIFE HISTORY OF THE “FIDDLER SCARAB” 
BEETLE (HUPOECILA AUSTRALASIAE). 
By Miss Mabel N. Brewster. 
At Tuggerah Lakes in September, 1916, a cluster of 
cocoons of the Fiddler beetle were found at the base of 
a hollow stump of a Hucalyptus. On opening 18 of them 
one adult was found, which was dead and faded, so was 
probably a previous season’s beetle. In.every other cocoon 
was the curled fat. grub, typical of the lamellicorn beetles. 
The broken cocoons (one end was broken off) were placed 
in a box, and by November 20th all had pupated except 
two, and the beetles were out with the exception of one, 
which was still a pupa. The beetles were placed in methy- 
lated spirits (as we had no killing bottle at hand), and 
two of the apparently dead beetles were placed in a box 
with the pupa (which had been also placed in methylated 
spirits). On locking at the box a few days later the beetles 
were alive and the pupa had been devoured—only a shell 
left. 
THE BARRINGTON TOPS, COPELAND, THE 
COMBOYNE, AND DORRIGO. 
MAITLAND SOIENTIFIC SOCIETY ANNUAL MIDSUMMER EXCURSION 
By J. E. Roberts. 
We travelled by rail to Gloucester, and visited the old 
mining township of Copeland during the afternoon. Our 
geologist here obtained convincing evidence that the dis- 
trict is Devonian. While so engaged we rambled through 
the surrounding forest. I gathered—at the head of a 
sully—a specimen of the Osage orange (Maclura auran- 
lica), an introduced shrub, to be seen growing in the 
Botanical Gardens, and wondered why and whence. The 
wandering white butterfly, Belenois java, were sheltering 
in thousands in the undergrowth, birds were abundant; 
but nothing rare fell to the net of the entomologists dur- 
ing our short stay. Next morning we left Gloucester by 
car for Rawdon Vale, on the Barrington. Here the guide 
met us with horses, and after camping on the foothills : 
