28 [February, 



NOTES ON COLLECTING IN NEW ZEALAND DURING THE SEASON 



1920-1921. 



BY G. T. HUDSON, F.E.S., F. N.Z.INST. 



Apart from the spring and early summer, Avhich is very usually 

 most un.settled, the weather conditions for collecting in New Zealand 

 have been better during the season of 1920-1921 than for some j'ears 

 past, and some good captures have been made. 



On December 6th, 1920, I was collecting at Wilton's Bush, near 

 "Wellington, when I was delighted to re-discover the long lost Arctoneiira 

 (^Cyrtonenra) hudsoni Marshall. Holding my net under a tall tree-fern 

 I gave the stem a sharp kick which brought down a fine female fairly 

 into the bag. The day was cloudy and cool, and to this circumstance I 

 attribute my success, as, had there been hot sunshine at the time, I feel 

 sure the insect would have taken flight instead of falling into the net. 

 A. hudsoni is a very fine Mycetophilid described and figvu-ed by Dr. 

 Marshall in the " Transactions of the New Zealand Institute," vol. xxviii. 

 page 2G3, from a single specimen taken by me at Karori about the year 

 1S8-1, and until last December, so far as I am aware, the insect had not 

 been taken since that time. 



On December 15th, whilst collecting in a deej) forest ravine below 

 the resei-voir at Wainviiomata, I had the good fortune to capture a speci- 

 men of a very large and handsome species of Tanydenis, apparently at 

 present undescribed. 



On December 28th, accompanied by my wife and daughter, I left 

 Wellington for the Lake Wakatipu, reaching Kinloch, at the head 

 oi the lake, on December 31st, and remaining there until Januarv 

 12th. Four of the best days, Januarj^ 1st, 5th, 8th, and 10th, were 

 devoted to working Bold Peak, at altitudes from 2000 to 6000 feet above 

 the sea-level. On January 1st my daughter discovered a large moun- 

 tain Perla at the foot of a waterfall just above the forest (3600 ft.), and 

 subsequently obtained a good series during a flying visit to Lake Harris 

 (4000 ft.) on January 9th. During our ascent of Bold Peak we found 

 Sabatinca chrysargyra Meyr., flying over moss in broken sunshine in 

 the Fagus forest at about 3000 feet. Higher up, amongst the subalpine 

 veronicas, several interesting species of Ghloroclystis were secured, and 

 larvae of Argyropltenga anfipodum occurred amongst the tussocks. 

 Few insects were found above this, although on jjrevious visits I have 

 found Erehia hutleri abundant amongst the shaggy tufts of DantJionia 

 grass, which grows in profusion between 4000 and 5000 feet. On 

 Janu.ary 5th, on our second ascent of Bold Peak, my daughter captured, 



