12 Transactions. — Zoology. 



eaten, and very probably a careful examination of the ferns 

 during the latter end of October or beginning of November 

 would result in the discovery of the larva. The perfect insect 

 was about at the time of my visit, therefore it was possibly a 

 month or six weeks too late in the season for the larva to be 

 found. 



Declana floccosa. 



In October, 1897, I captured in my garden at Karori a 

 specimen of this insect, with the central band of the forewings 

 unusually broad and extremely dark in colour. It is quite a 

 new variety to me, and differs considerably from any of the 

 numerous varieties of D. floccosa which I have previously 

 described and figured. (See " New Zealand Moths and 

 Butterflies," p. 96.) 



Sphinx convolvuli. 



On the 15th January last Sir James Hector kindly sent 

 me some larvae of this handsome insect. It is an extremely 

 difficult caterpillar to rear, and I have only succeeded in 

 bringing one specimen to the pupa state, and it is doubtful 

 whether even this specimen will ever give rise to a moth. 

 The larvee appear to have been plentiful in the neighbourhood 

 of Picton during last summer. As a rule S. convolvuli is not 

 found southward of Napier and New Plymouth, although it is 

 occasionally common in the more northern districts. 



Vanessa itea. 



This insect was extremely abundant during the past 

 autumn. At Easter the weather was exceptionally fine and 

 mild, and 1 observed many specimens of this beautiful butter- 

 fly in my garden at Karori" It was then certainly quite as com- 

 mon as Vanessa gonerilla. During the same holidays a very 

 fine series of over a dozen specimens of V. itea was taken by 

 Miss Blair on the flowers of a heliotrope in her garden in 

 Grant Eoad, which series I have much pleasure in exhibiting 

 before the Society this evening. Mr. Powles has also observed 

 this butterfly in large numbers in his garden, and I think that 

 the past season will be remembered as the "«ea" year, by 

 every one in Wellington who is interested in butterflies. 



Porina characterifera. 



Of this rare and beautiful species I captured one very fine 

 specimen at Kaitoke on the 9th November last. It was 

 resting with closed wings on the moss-covered trunk of a 

 birch-tree, where it was extremely difiicult to see. Although 

 I spent fully two hours examining other tree-trunks in the 

 vicinity, I did not succeed in finding any others. 



