118 ^^^•^^■ 



plentiful, but most difficult to detect on the dry white sand ; but its 

 preference for spots where the presence of a little moisture caused it 

 to show up better against a darker background, led to the capture of 

 a fine series. On the sand, too, were fouud defunct specimens of 

 three species of the Dynastid genus Pericoptus, with Stefhaspis, Den- 

 drohlax, and the fine and rare Carabid, Brullcea antarctica, Cast., and 

 in the ver}'^ brief time at my disposal when I reached the sea-beach, I 

 took a series of a beautiful little shining-white Heteromeron, Actizeta 

 albaia, Pasc, under a small dead fish, and a dark form of Choerodes 

 (concolor, Sharp), not previously met with by me. 



Another station, Waitakerei, on the same railway line, but rather 

 nearer to Auckland, was visited by me on May Slst and June 18th. 

 Here a range of hills, not exceeding 900 feet in height, still retains a 

 good deal of fine woodland, including some grand Kauri pines ; and 

 the " Nikau " palm, Bhopalostylis sapida, is very abundant and of fine 

 growth. This palm yields its special and very interesting series of 

 Coleoptera, which are most easily obtained by pulling away the lower- 

 most dead fronds from the trunk and searching their sheathing bases. 

 In this situation I met with the curious Anthribid Arecopais {Exilis) 

 spectahilis, Br., in numbers, sitting quietly with its immensely long 

 antennsD (in the ^) stuck straight out in front and slightly diverging, 

 and accompanied by several remarkable forms of Cossonid weevils. 

 Of these Arecophaqa varia, Br., and Eucossonus comptus, Br., were the 

 most abundant, the very elongate Dioedimorpha (Pentarthriim) wol- 

 lastoniana, Sharp, and the still more curious Diacanthorrliinus hellus, 

 Br., occurring but sparingly. With these were found a very flat 

 Omalium (hebes, Br.) and numbers of the Cucujid, Cryptamorpha 

 brevicornis, White, as well as the smaller and brighter-looking C. later- 

 alis, which is perhaps identical with the Canarian G. miisce, Woll. 

 Other Cossonidce were taken in stumps and logs of Pimis insigniSy 

 notably the fine Xenocnema spinipes, Woll, which had deserted its 

 natural habitat the Kauri, for this imported tree. 



In May, 1902, I spent a week's leave at Te Aroha, a rising health 

 resort on the banks of the Waihou or Thames Eiver, and 115 miles 

 from Auckland by rail. It is an exceedingly pretty place, situated at 

 the foot of a fine forest-clad mountain 3120 feet high, and is evidently 

 a first-rate locality for insects of all Orders. But as it rained more or 

 less, with scarcely an hour's cessation during the whole of my stay, 

 my captures were very limited in number. The commonest beetle in 

 the low ground near the river was an introduced Australian Carabid, 

 Bliytisterniis ptcella, Macl., which occurred abundantly under stones 



