144 Transactions. — Zoology. 



In 1867 I published in the " Zoologist," page 850, the 

 description of a new species, Hemideina megacephala, Buller, 

 distinguished by its enormous head. 



In 1869 ten more names were added to the group, namely : 

 Hemideina producta (afterwards referred by Professor Hutton 

 to H. thoracida) ,* H. capitolina, H. figurata, H. abbreviata, 

 H. tibialis, Geuthophilus (?) lanceolatus, Macropathus filifer, 

 M. fascifer, and M. altus (White, Cat. Locustidae) ; also 

 Hadenoscus edu-ardsii (Scudder, Proc. Boston Soc. of Nat. 

 Hist., xii., p. 408). 



In 1870 I communicated a paper to this Society (Trans. 

 N.Z. Inst., vol. hi., pp. 34-87) in which I republished my 

 account of Hemideina megacephala, and described a new 

 species under the name of Deinacrida rugosa, Buller (with 

 figures of both). 



In 1880 Mr. Colenso described (Trans. N.Z. Inst., vol. xiv., 

 p. 278), under the name of Hemideina gigantea, "a species 

 bigger in every way than D. hetcracantha," adding, "it is also 

 much more spiny, and differs greatly in colours," &c. He at 

 the same time described {torn, cit., p. 240) another species, 

 Hemideina speluncce; giving as its habitat "dark underground 

 caves near the head of the Manawatu Eiver, in the Forty-mile 

 Bush." 



Eespecting the first-named of these Mr. Colenso gave some 

 very interesting historical particulars. 



An admirable figure of Deinacrida hetcracantha appeared 

 in the "Zoology of the ' Erebus ' and ' Terror,' " part "Insects," 

 p. 24, pi. 5, fig. i. ; and in 1868 Professor Hochstetter pub- 

 lished a good figure in outline (" New Zealand," p. 170), with 

 a brief and somewhat inaccurate account of the insect, con- 

 cluding with this remark: "Despite its hideous looks it is 

 perfectly harmless." 



Mr. Colenso stated in 1880 (I.e., p. 280) that his unique 

 specimen of Hemideina gigantea had then been forty-two 

 years in spirits with its colours unaltered, the liquid in the 

 glass bottle containing it being still clear and pure. To this 

 we must now add thirteen years more ; so that the specimen 

 has been canonized for more than half a century. I think 

 the beautiful female specimen of Deinacrida hetcracantha in 

 my son's collection can show almost as good a record. It is 

 amongst the earliest recollections of my life that, about forty- 

 five years ago, wandering through the woods at Tangiteroria 

 with my private tutor, Dr. Beard, we found this huge Weta at 

 the foot of a tree, and brought it home in a silk pocket-hand- 

 kerchief. Being something of a naturalist, the doctor care- 



* " Catalogue of the New Zealand Diptera, Orthoptera, Hymenop- 

 tera," 1881, p. 82. 



