HA^rII/^ON. — ^'ofe■•: on E/ifo)iioIo(/>r(iI Collect inr/ Tonr.^. 117 



During our stay at Macetown, from the 7th to the 21st December, we 

 obtained an incredible number of moths at the treacle alone. Even on 

 rainy and cold windy nights there used to be hundreds of the commoner 

 moths round the treacle. The following is the list of the moths that were 

 extremely common : Orthosia comma, Leucania atristriga, L. modercta, 

 L. unica, Mdanchra cucullina (?), M. disjungens, M. ewingi, M. mu'ans, M. 

 'plena, M. ustistriga, Bityla defigurata, and Agrotis ypsilon. The less-common 

 varieties included Physetica caerulea, Leucania griseipennis, L. nuUifera, L. 

 semivittata, L. imica, Ichneutica ceraunias, Melanchra maya, M. para- 

 causta, M. pictula, and AI. ruhescens. During those fourteen days we pro- 

 bably forwarded over sixteen hundred moths and butterflies to Wellington. 



On Saturday the 12th December we made our first excursion into the 

 localities known to be the habitat of Erebia pluto var. micans. Strange to 

 say, a 'ocality at an altitude of about 3,000 ft. on the Arrow Kiver which 

 at about the same time of the year in 1907 yielded many specimes of Erebia 

 micans failed to give us any specimens. We took only one battered tnicans 

 and sav/ one other, but were rewarded for our long tramp by getting a fine 

 series of about eighty Metacrias huttoni on a tussocky island on the Arrow 

 River. We did not see any females, but judged them to be present by 

 the way the huttoni continually hovered over bunches of tussock, apparently 

 on the look-out for something. A few Argyrophenga antipodum and several 

 species of Notoreas were also taken that day. 



Another locality was visited next day, and the results were better, 

 although the sun was continually being obscured by clouds. Erebia pluto 

 can only be located when the sun is shining strongly and continuouslv. 

 This beautiful black butterfly is then to be seen hovering over the shingle- 

 slips, and apparently following well-defined air-tracks. It was noticed that 

 the best way to capture them was to sit close by a place they had been seen 

 to pass, and keep perfectly still. Presently one would come sailing along, 

 and apparently not notice the collector. A very quick movement with 

 the net was necessary to catch the insect, and if you missed the first stroke 

 the chances were all on the butterfly escaping. On being disturbed they 

 make rapid jerky upward movements, and soon get out of the danger-zone, 

 flying away to some other slope. As soon as the sun is obscured by a clouci 

 all the butterflies alight and remain motionless till the sun shines again. 

 As sunshine is the exception rather than the rule on these mountain-tops, 

 £'re6i'a-hunting is very trying to the patience. 



Notwithstanding the unfavourable weather, we managed to get about 

 twenty-five Erebia micans in good condition during this, our first, visit 

 to Macetown. Ichneutica ceraunias and Leucania griseipennis were fairly 

 common, but in bad condition. 



Hoping that the weather would clear up for good, we started back to 

 Queenstown on the 22nd December, on the way to Glenorchy. Glenorchy 

 was reached on the 29th December, and our hopes were for a spell of fine 

 weather, in order to work the tempting mountains that lie on the west side 

 of Lake Wakatipu. We were especially anxious to get specimens of that 

 rare butterfly Erebia or Erebiola butleri from a locality on the Humboldt 

 Mountains discovered by Mr. G. V. Hudson, F.E.S., 'in 1894. A fall of 

 snow and cold and boisterous weather gave the mountains a mantle right 

 down to the bush-line (.3,600 ft.), and all we could do for ten days was to 

 sit in the hotel at Glenorchy and wait. We waited and waited until v\-e 

 almost despaired of seeing fine v\-eather again, and eventually left Glenorchy 

 in the rain) for the south in search of finer weather. 



