30 



[February, 



During a collecting trip to Rangaiana, on the main trunk line, in 

 January of tliis year, my wife and I were enjoying the hospitality of 

 Mr. and Mi-s. Larking at their residence. The night being Avarm the 

 drawing-room windows were open, and, consequently many Prlonophis 

 reticularis were annoying the ladies. Mrs. Hamilton struck down what 

 she thought to be a beetle, but seeing the visitor was a nioth, promptly 

 acted on a collector's instinct and secured it in a matchbox. Thus was 

 a fine female specimen of Titanomis sisi/rofa secured under peculiar 

 circumstances. Rangataua is situated between the boundaries of the 

 beech foi-ests that fringe Mount Ruapehu and the outlying Kimu- 

 Kahikatea-Maire belt. It would be hard, therefore, to locabze this 

 moth to any definite plant association, but the occiirrence of l)eech 

 forests in all localities where it has been found is significant." 



So far as I have been able to ascertain, Titanomis sisyyota has only 

 previously occurred on the following occasions : — 



1. The first capture Avas made by the late Mr. R. Helms at Grey- 

 mouth ? in 1874, but the moth was not then described. Tliis occurrence 

 was communicated to me verbally by Mr. Helms. 



2. There is a female specimen in my collection taken in Nelson in 

 the " seventies,'' but no particulars are available. 



3. In the collection formed by the late Mr. A. P. Buller, now in 

 the Dominion Museum, thei-e is an extremely damaged male specimen 

 of Tifano7nis si sy rota, probably captured in the Nelson district. 



4. In February 1882 Miss Collins captured a female specimen in 

 the drawing-room of her residence at Wakapuaka, Nelson, and kindly 

 gave it to me. I sent this specimen to Mr. Stainton, in 1885, for 

 description. Subsequently, however. Mi-. Stainton handed it over to 

 Mr, Meyrick, who described it in the " Transactions of the New Zealand 

 Institute" for 1887, page 104. 



5. The next occurrence was in March 1880, wlien Mr. Clement 

 W. Lee found a female specimen at Otaki, in the North Island. This is 

 now in my collection. 



6. Mr. Bannehr captured a specimen on the Dun Mountain, near 

 Nelson, prior to 1898, when I saw the insect in his collection. 



7. Mr. Philpott has Recorded the discovery of a broken dead speci- 

 men at Haldane, Southland in 1900. 



Ilillview, Karori, 



Welliugton, N.Z. 

 July 1921. 



