Philpott. — Catalogue of Southland Lepidoptera. 171 



colour of the fore wings, some examples being a light-brown 

 and others much darker than proteastis — almost black, in 

 fact. West Plains. 



M. tar tar ea. 



Eare. I possess two specimens — one beaten from brush- 

 wood in April, 1897, and the other secured at "sugar" in 

 April, 1900. West Plains. 



M. homoscia. 



This moth is also a rarity. I have one specimen, taken at 

 " sugar " on the 9th October, 1899. West Plains. 



M. composita. 



This moth appears to be local, but is generally to be found 

 in numbers near a field of red-clover. It does not seem to 

 travel far from the clover-fields, as I have found that " sugar" 

 laid at a distance of a few hundred yards from a field of clover 

 would be visited by very few moths, while " sugar" laid on 

 trees bordering the clover would attract hundreds of speci- 

 mens. I have taken it from November to May, and have met 

 with it at West Plains and Eimu, but I expect that it is 

 pretty generally distributed. 



M. steropastis. 



I took several examples of this moth in October and 

 November of this year (1900). West Plains. 



M. infensa. 



Fairly common about end of November. May be taken at 

 " sugar " or on flowers of rata. My earliest spring capture i& 

 the 17th October, and I am inclined to think that the moth is 

 not about much earlier than that date, as several specimens 

 which I reared emerged on the 28th October and the 16th 

 and 20th November. West Plains. 



M. dotata. 



A single example of this species is in the collection of 

 Mr. E. Fortune, taken at Orepuki. 



M. stipata. 



This fine moth appears early in September, and is common 

 till about the middle of October, after which it is rarely met 

 with till the members of a second brood emerge, during Feb- 

 ruary. This autumn brood, however, does not come up to the 

 spring brood in point of numbers. I have taken examples as 

 late as the 2nd June, but do not think that any of the moths 

 live through the winter. "Sugar" proves very attractive to 

 this species. West Plains. 



M. octans. 



One specimen, taken in March, at Mount Linton, on a 

 block of bare limestone. The colour and markings of the 



