1914.] ] 83 



206-9). But as lie goes on to say (I.e., p. 236), "Whatever interest 

 may attach to what we may term the internal migrations of Annsia 

 archippus within the Nearctic region, much greater interest is felt in 

 its movements to distant parts of the world." It is the history of these 

 movements that I now proceed to consider. 



The Westward Migration op Danaida plexippus. 

 I. New Zealand. 



It is not a little singular that the first definite record of the 

 occurrence of D. plexippus outside the American Continent was from 

 so remote a locality as the North Island of New Zealand, at about 

 the time when it first became a British colony. 



In the " Transactions of the New Zealand Institute," vol. VI, 

 pp. 183-6 (1874), Mr. R. W. Fereday published an interesting paper 

 " Obseiwations on the Occurrence of a Butterfly new to New Zealand," 

 he having received a specimen of " a large handsome butterfly of the 

 genus Danais," captured by Mr. F. H. Meinertzhagen at Waimarama, 

 Hawke Bay, N.I., and identified as " Danais erippus " from a New South 

 Wales specimen in the Canterbury Museum, Christchurch, sent by 

 Mr. C. French — the insect having by that time established itself in 

 Australia. Mr. Fereday, who in his paper adopts the Cramerian name 

 berenice for the insect in question, thus proceeds (I.e., p. 183), " From 

 Dr. Hector I have also received a specimen of this butterfly, taken last 

 summer at Hokitika (west coast of South Island) , where he saw it in 

 great abundance ; arid since the capture of the first, Mr. Meinertzhagen 



has taken several more specimens at Waimarama He informs 



me that wherever he has seen the butterfly it has been flying high, but 

 not swiftly, in sunny sheltered places among trees, and settling on them. 

 He also saw it travelling fast over the countiw along the coast. The 

 first he saw early in November, and the last he took the first week in 

 April. All the Maories to whom he showed the butterfly said they knew 

 it, and the old Maories say it is called ' Kakaku,' and is in some years 

 very plentiful. The caterpillar, they tell him, was very plentiful this 

 year, and feeds on the pollen of the gourd which they grow in that part 

 of the country (Hawke Bay). They are unanimous in saying that the 

 butterfly was there before any white man came" (the italics are my own), 

 "and the Rev. W. Colenso of Hawke Bay told Mr. Meinertzhagen that 

 he saw it many years ago." 



Mr. Meinertzhagen also obtained from his neighbour, Mr. Nairn, 

 a coloured sketch made from memory, but clearly recognisable from 



