24 [January, 1904. 



and patterns of butterflies' wings. The insects had been photographed on masses 

 of foliage and flowers, and it was obvious that tlie dark ground-colour liarmonized 

 with the dark sliadow behind and under the vegetation, while the light markings 

 stood out as conventionalized representations of single flowers and flower-masses. 

 Also the eyeless imagines and pupa cases of Ennomos autumnaria, in illustration of 

 his remarks at the meeting on November 18th. Imagines produced by unblinded 

 larvae were also shown for comparison. Dr. Chapman made some remarks on the 

 specimens exhibited by the President. The Rev. Francis D. Morice, M.A., read a 

 paper, entitled, " Illustrations of the male terminal segments and armatures in 

 thirty-five species of the Hynienopterous genus CoUetes." — II. Gross, Hon. Sec. 



ANTIPODEAN FIELD NOTES. 



II.— A YEAR'S INSECT HUNTING IN NEW ZEALAND. 



BT JAMES J. WALKER, R.N , F.L.S. 



The lar^e and important group of islands collectively known 

 as New Zealand, whether they are viewed from the standpoint of the 

 physical {i;eographer, the biologist pure and simple, or the student of 

 the geographical distribution of the varied forms of animal and 

 vegetable life, may be regarded as one of the most interesting regions 

 of the whole world. The insects especially, though it may be that on 

 the whole they are somewhat lacking in superficial attractiveness, 

 bear a more pronounced stamp of individuality than those of any 

 other well-defined region of equal extent ; and they, with the fast- 

 vanishing indigenous birds, form a large and important relic of the 

 most ancient and long-isolated fauna yet existing on the earth's 

 surface. 



Thanks to the exertions of such energetic entomologists as 

 Captain T. Broun, Captain F. W. Hutton, Mr. Q. V. Hudson, and 

 Mr. J. H. Lewis— to name only those whose acquaintance I made 

 during my visit to New Zealand, and whose invaluable assistance 

 I gratefully acknowledge here we have now a very fair general 

 knowledge of most of the Orders of insects occurring in the Islands. 

 Although extensive areas in the two great land-masses are as yet 

 entomologically unexplored, and Stewart Island, the third and 

 smallest, is entirely unworked, the number of species already known 

 to inhabit New Zealand is so great as entirely to negative the idea, 

 which still, 1 believe, prevails in some quarters, that its insect-fauna 

 is a poor and limited one. My own visit, in FT. M.S. '" Kingarooma," 

 to New Zealand, extended from October, 1901, to N'ovember, J9u2 ; 

 and this was supplemented by a flying trip with the Australian 

 Squadron in February and March, 1903. Of necessity, the major 



