Quail. — On Charagia virescens. 255 



Mr. Ritchie, however, believes this is due to the females 

 frequently emerging later — i.e., after dark — and this opinion 

 was supported by finding quite a number of freshly emerged 

 females after dark on one occasion, there being no males ob- 

 served at the same time. Two females have a white blotch 

 agreeing with the white blotch frequently observed at lower 

 part of the band on male specimens. More than one female 

 specimen have dark " chocolate " spots about one-third from 

 tips of superior wings, these being remarkably reminiscent 

 of G. daphnandrce. 



The colour of Charagia virescens suggests protective re- 

 semblance ; that it is really so I have little doubt. Mr. 

 Ritchie one evening drew my attention to what he thought 

 was a male specimen — which, in my opinion, was probably 

 a female specimen — perched some 15 ft. up on a tree-trunk. 

 It was getting dark, and objects at that distance in the shade 

 amongst branches could not be clearly distinguished. With 

 a long stick it was reached down, and proved to be a leaf split 

 in the middle. Doubtless a sharp-eyed morepork often passes 

 a specimen under the impression that it is a leaf. 



One curious fact may be mentioned : ova of G. virescens 

 are normally pale-yellow when first laid, becoming black 

 after several hours. On several occasions this season black 

 ova were extruded among the pale-coloured ones by freshly 

 emerged females; and, moreover, within the abdomen of seve- 

 ral specimens black ova were mixed amongst the others. 



To observe if possible the manner of emergence from the 

 vertical bore and through the operculum we obtained some 

 pupas. Having cut the wood so as to divide the bore between 

 the operculum and the pupa, on every occasion that the top half 

 was removed the pupa would slide up to investigate the cause 

 of the disturbance in the atmosphere above. On touching a 

 finger held above it the pupa would immediately descend again, 

 apparently satisfied that all was right. This was repeated 

 with different pupae, proving that C. virescens can and does 

 travel up and down its vertical burrow at will during the pupa 

 stage. I now believe the operculum is cut or removed by 

 pressure of the pupal headpiece, and not by aerial pressure, 

 as I was previously inclined to think. One thing is certain, 

 the cover is not a trap-door, in the sense of being hinged, until 

 after emergence of the pupa. 



EXPLANATION OP PLATE XXVIII. 

 Pig. 1. Prothorax of unusual form, larva of Charagia virescens; magnified. 

 Pig. 2. Abdominal segment of ditto, dorsal aspect ; magnified. 

 Pig. 3. „ lateral aspect ; magnified. 



Pig. 4. Anterior segments of pupa, C. virescens ; natural size. 

 Pig. 5. C. virescens, male, nov. ab albo-extremus ; natural size. 

 Pig. 6. „ female, ab hectori, Butl. ; natural size. 





