74 Transactions. 



Sculpture. — Extremely fine. Minute reticulations form a network of 

 irregular four-, five-, and six-sided cells of about 0-02 mm. diameter. Cells 

 surrounding micropyle lengthened in direction radial from tiie micropyle. 

 Reticulations very hard to distinguish, even under high powers. 



Micropyle. — Situated in rosette of elongated pear-shaped cells. Diameter 

 of rosette, about 0-10 mm. Bands of four- and five-sided cells surround the 

 rosette ; they are rather elongated, and merge into the common network. 

 Micropyle very indistinct. 



Shell. — 'Fairly strong ; transparent ; highly glossy ; smooth within cells. 



Colour. — When fresh laid, creamy white, changing in a day or two to a 

 distinct cream colour. Later the egg assumes a pink tint, and just before 

 hatching turns a slate-blue, while the larva is plainly seen. Infertile eggs 

 turn a light yellow, and collapse. 



Note. — Laid in small batches in rows in crevices of box, one row above 

 another. The eggs get very dented soon after being laid ; in some cases 

 the dents extend from the micropyle to the base, and give the egg a very 

 strongly longitudinally ribbed appearance. Very strongly attached to each 

 other, and to the box but slightly. Batches of twenty-eight and fifty-five 

 eggs obtained. Laid in October and November. Period of incubation, 

 about seventeen days. The larva eats its way through the micropylar end, 

 and in some cases makes its first meal off the empty shell. 



(Described, 2nd October, 1912.) 



Melanchra dotata Walk. 



Dasypolia dotata Walk., Cat. Lep. Brit. Mus., 11, p. 522 ; Butl., 

 Cat. Lep. N.Z., p. 8. Mamestra dotata Meyr., Trans. N.Z. Inst., 

 19, p. 24 ; Fereday, List N.Z. Lep., Trans. N.Z. Inst., 30, p. 334. 

 Melanchra dotata Hudson, N.Z. Moths and Butterflies, p. 24, pi. 5, 

 fig. 16. 



I have only succeeded in obtaining three specimens of this moth, and 

 have reason to believe that it is rare around Wanganui. Mr. Hudson 

 records two specimens as having been caught. 



Ovum. Plate I, fig. 1. 



Class. — 'Upright. 



Shape. — Semispherical ; base flat ; top flattened slightly. 



Dimensions. — Height, 0-54 mm. ; greatest diameter, 0-82 mm. 



Sculpture. — Strong. Similar to that of M. insignis. The following are 

 the chief distinctions : Longitudinal ribs very pronounced, forty-one in 

 number. The shell is broken up by transverse reticulations into fairly deep 

 quadrilateral cells. A network of pentagonal and hexagonal cells surrounds 

 the micropyle. 



Micropyle. — Situated in a rosette of six elongated cells. Rosette about 

 0-04 mm. diameter, and surrounded by the network of cells mentioned 

 above. 



Shell. — Very fragile ; transparent ; shiny ; slightly roughened within 

 cells. 



Colour. — Very pale green. In about a week a small brown spot is dis- 

 cernible on either side of the micropyle ; later more such spots appear, 

 also large irregular areas of darker green. Two days after this a number 

 of small black spots surround the micropyle, while a larger reddish-brown 



