CoLENso. — Oil Pyrameis gonerilla. 197 



whence to pour forth its gushing notes; and this habit is 

 more particularly observed by them soon after sunrise and at 

 sunset, when to hear them of a fine summer's evening, when 

 all is calm above and still below, is really ravishing. At such 

 times the song by Capern, called "The Old Grey Thrush," 

 has come forcibly to mind. As some of you may not know it, 

 permit me to give part of the first stanza : — 



Of all the birds of tuneful note 



That warble o'er field and flood, 

 0, give me the thrush with the speckled throat, 



The king of the singing wood ! 

 For see, he sits on the topmost twig 



To carol forth his glee, 

 And none can dance a merrier jig. 



Or laugh more loud than he. 



The whole of that song is apt (for the tui), and well 

 worth repeating. To return, however : — altogether it was a 

 pleasant tune ; all nature seemed in harmony ; even the 

 murmur of the rippling waters of the neighbouring brawling 

 stream joined in unison, and conveyed a more soothing 

 cadence than usual to the ear ; and the briskly flitting butter- 

 flies above all appeared to be revelling in luxury, enjoying 

 themselves and making the most of it. At such seasons 

 snatches from the once popular song of fifty or sixty years 

 ago, and long forgotten, " I'd be a butterfly, born in a bower," 

 &c., would come rushing rapidly along through the dark lanes 

 of encumbered memory into broad daylight. I remember well, 

 standing entranced, as it were, for several minutes, contem- 

 plating and admiring the scene before me ere I could bring 

 myself to resume my journey, and dive into the deeper and 

 gloomy recesses of the forest. 



That is a faint and brief description of what I saw there at 

 that grand butterflies' ball and feast, in the early spring. 



On a subsequent visit to that spot, one day in the autumn 

 (28th April), on examining the Urtica shrub, I found 3 larvse 

 and 2 clirysalides of the Pyrameis on it : the larvae feeding on 

 its leaves, the pupse hanging from it. The pupae were sus- 

 pended by a few tiny threads under a leaf, or within a leaf (or 

 sometimes two leaves), the edges being very slightly drawn 

 together with threads, but not closed up, remaining more than 

 half open. In taking these rudimental insects, and gathering 

 some of the leaves of the Urtica for the larvae to feed on, I 

 somehow got stung rather severely, in spite of all my care. 

 I well remember the sharp permanent pain from the sting of 

 that nettle, which lasted four days,''' and was always increased 

 through washing or wetting my hands. 



* Since writing the above I find the same fact already recorded — 

 " Fl. N.Z.," vol. i., p. 225, and " Handbook Fl. N.Z.," p. 252—1 having 

 forty years before experienced the same discomfort. 



