II.— THE NOTODONTINA. 75 



The perfect insect appears in January, frequenting shingle flats on the mountain 

 sides, at about 4,000 feet above the sea-level. It flies rapidly in the hottest sunshine, and, 

 when it alights on the stones, is extremely difficult to find. The brilliant hind-wings, 

 which are very conspicuous when the moth is flying, quite disqualify the eye from detect- 

 ing the extremely obscure object, which the insect instantly becomes when resting with 

 its fore-wings alone exposed. This method of increasing the value of protective tints by 

 means of bright colours temporarily displayed was very clearly described, I believe for the 

 first time, by Lord Walsingham in his address to the Fellows of the Entomological 

 Society of London, in January, 1891. It is certainly well exemplified by this and several 

 other species of the genus Notoreas, and it will be at once noticed by the collector, how 

 extremely difficult it is to follow these active little moths, as they fly with short and rapid 

 flight over the grey rocks and stones, with which their fore-wings so completely har- 

 monize ; the momentary glimpse obtained of the brilliant hind-wings so completely 

 deceives the eye, that there is much more difficulty in marking the spot where the insect 

 alights, than would have been the case if the brilliant colour had never been displayed. 



NOTOREAS VULCANICA, Meyr. 



Pasithca vulcanica, Meyr., Trans. N. Z. Inst. xvi. 89. Nvtorcas vulcanica, ib. xviii. 18-4.) 



(Plate VIII., fig. 24.) 



This species has been taken in the North Island at Makotuku, and the Kaweka 

 Range, in the Hawkes Bay District. 



The expansion of the wings is 1 inch. The fore-wings are very dark blackish-grey ; there is a 

 rather narrow black transverse line near the base, another at about one-third ; then a small black dot, 

 followed by a wavy, rather broad, black band, and two cloudy wavy black transverse lines near the 

 termen. The hind-wings are very dark orange : there is a large black basal patch, then a broad black 

 band joining the basal natch near the dorsum ; beyond this is a fine black line, then another broad 

 black line followed by a very fine war;/ line of the orange ground colour: the termen is very broadly 

 margined with black. 



The perfect insect appears from January to March. Mr. Meyrick states that he 

 found it resting on the roads near Makotuku. 



Described and .figured from a specimen in Mr. Fereday's collection. 



NOTOREAS BREPHOS, Walk. 



(Fi Ionia brephosata, Walk. 1037; Bufcl., Cat. pi. iii. 14. Larentia catocalaria, Gn., E. M. M. v. 

 62. Fidonia brephos, Feld. exxix. 5. Pasithsa brephos, Meyr., Trans. N. Z. Inst. xvi. 89. Notoreas 

 brephos, ib. xviii. 184.) 



(Plate VIII., figs. 20, 21, 22, and 23, varieties.) 



This very pretty species is common, and generally distributed throughout the 

 country. 



The expansion of the wings is about 1 inch. The fore-wings are dark grey ; there is a wavy 

 black line near the base, two similar lines enclosing a very broad central area, with a black dot a little 

 above the middle ; beyond this there is a more or less distinct wavy band of pale grey or brown ; there 

 are several obscure wavy blackish lines near the termen. The hind-wings are bright orange, dotted 

 with grey near the base and dorsum, with from two to four more or less distinct wavy black transverse 

 lines, generally rather narrow ; the termen is moderately broadly bordered with black. 



This insect is extremely variable, and, so far as I can judge from an extensive series, 

 several of the varieties appear to indicate that both Notoreas zopyra and N. vulcanica may 

 ultimately have to be ranked as varieties of N. breplws, but the evidence on this point is 

 not yet conclusive enough to render such a course at present desirable. 



