George Vernon Hudson

“ In the centre of this the pupa lies with its head towards the lower portion of the case, the old larval skin being thrust backwards amongst the loose silk above the insect.
The male and female pupæ may very easily be distinguished. The male pupa is rather attenuated, and has all the organs of the future moth plainly indicated on the integument, as is usual with lepidopterous pupæ. The female pupa, on the contrary, is merely a chain of segments, with a few faint indications of rudimentary organs on the anterior extremity. It is, moreover, much larger than the male pupa. ”

“ When full grown, this caterpillar fastens its case to a branch with a loop of strong silk, which is drawn very tight, preventing the case from swinging when the plant is moved by the wind, and also rendering the insect's habitation more inconspicuous, by causing it to resemble a broken twig. The anterior aperture is completely closed, the loose edges being drawn together and fastened like a bag. The posterior end of the case is twisted up for some little distance above the extremity, thus completely closing the opening there situated. ”

“ Distribution is of course quite impossible without a female being transported in some way, and from observations made on a good many larvæ of various ages, I am disposed to think that the migration of this insect to new localities takes place at an early age, possibly soon after its emergence from the egg. ”

“ Eighteen of these minute insects emerged from a single pupa of E. marginatus. The method by which the Pteromalus introduces its eggs into the dipterous larva, which is in its turn enclosed in a caterpillar, is not at present known to entomologists; but it seems probable that the eggs of the hyper-parasite are either deposited in the eggs of the dipterous insect, or else on the very young larvæ, before they penetrate the skin of the caterpillar. [1] ”

“ In fact, the insect is a very general feeder. About three days after leaving the egg, the little caterpillar constructs a minute, conical-shaped, silken case, which it carries almost in an upright position on its posterior segments. Later on in life this case becomes too heavy to be held vertically, and is afterwards dragged along by the larva, and often allowed to hang downwards. ”

“ The body is very hairy, and deep black. The antennæ are broadly bi-pectinate at the base, becoming almost filiform towards the apex. The female insect is apterous, having a close superficial resemblance to a large maggot. ”

“ Hind-wings, with vein 8, connected by bar with upper margin of cell. Female apterous, without legs or developed antennæ. "A rather small family of universal distribution, but commoner in warm countries. Male imago with thinly scaled wings, without markings; flight strong and swift, sometimes in sunshine. The female is almost wholly helpless; the abdomen is at first greatly distended with eggs, and ultimately shrivels up.
"Ovum oval, smooth. Larva inhabiting a strong portable silken case, covered with fragments of stick or refuse. ”

“ There can, however, be no question that the modern view is the correct one, and that notwithstanding the large size of some of the species, they are really closely allied to those Micro-Lepidoptera, with which they are now associated. ”

“ Indeed this moth is so vivacious, that it often happens, owing to the emergence usually taking place very early in the morning, that specimens are more or less injured by their efforts to escape, before they are discovered in the breeding cage. ”

“ Its case measures in length about 16 lines (13⁄8 inches) ; the exterior is covered with pieces of stems of grass from a line to 5 lines in length, laid longitudinally and in the manner of thatch; the interior is thinly lined with fine silk. The cases are found fixed to the twigs of the Wild Irishman (Discaria toumatou) , but it may be inferred from the covering of the case, that it probably does not feed on the shrub but upon the tussock grass, generally growing where the shrub is found. ”