The famous “Gypsy Moth,” common in Europe, belongs to this group; it was introduced into the State of Massachusetts, where it has multiplied so enormously that it has become a regular plague, and though hundreds of thousands of dollars have been spent in fighting it, it is still a serious pest. _Porthesia obsoleta_, one of our typical species, measures about 1½ inches across the wings, and is pure white with a black body tipped with golden brown hairs. It was described by Donovan in 1815 in his “Insects of New Holland,” and is more common in Victoria than New South Wales. _Trichetra marginalis_ is a moth with a wingless female; the male is a little larger than the last species; is of a uniform greyish brown colour, with the outer edges of the fore wings white, and the hind pair pale brown. The larva feeds upon the foliage of gum trees. [Illustration: Plate XXV.--LEPIDOPTERA. Family PSYCHIDAE. 1. _Entometa ignoblis_ (Walker). Cocoon of Faggot Case-moth. 2. _Entometa ignoblis_ (Walker). Cocoon made with Cherry stalks. 3. _Thyridopteryx herrichii_ (Westwood). 4. _Metura elongata_ (Saunders). 5. _Thyridopteryx hubneri_ (Westwood). Cocoon made of gum leaves. 6. _Thyridopteryx hubneri_ (Westwood). Cocoon made of pine needles.] [Illustration: _Plate XXV.--LEPIDOPTERA._] The Genus _Teara_ contains over 20 named species of the “Bag-shelter Moths,” with gregarious larvae. _Teara contraria_, one of the largest species, measures up to 2½ inches across the wings; it is of a general dark brown tint with a small white spot in the centre of each wing; the thorax thickly clothed with long lance-shaped plumes yellow at the tips; and the abdomen rich orange yellow barred with black. The caterpillars are thickly clothed with long hairs, and when they take up a position on the branch of their food tree (generally a eucalypt or wattle) they spin a silken bag, drawing the leaves and twigs together, but not acting like the “Leaf-rollers,” for the silk forms a regular felted brown covering which soon becomes full of their excrement and cast skins, among which they rest during the day. They trail out at night in a regular procession and often strip all the foliage of the tree. When full grown they crawl down the trunk and pupate in loose open cocoons (formed from their body hairs) buried in the ground, and the large liver-coloured silken bag remains long after they have deserted it. This species in some districts makes its home upon wattles, but in other localities attacks the eucalypts in a similar manner. _Teara tristis_ is not more than 1¼ inches across the wings, and varies from blackish brown to silvery grey; the fore wings are marbled with white and yellow and a light circular spot in front; the hind ones are nearly black with a minute white spot in the centre; the head and thorax are grey; the abdomen black, barred and tipped with orange; it is common in Victoria and N.S.