Hamilton. — Notes on Entomological Collectiiuj Tours. 119 



goods packed up by horse. The only vegetation is the stunted heath and 

 tussock (snow-grass). 



On the following day, a beautifully fine one, we had a most enjoyable 

 collecting. Among the species that we took were Erebia fluto, Vanessa 

 gonerilla, Argyrophenga antipodum, Leucania griseipennis, Dasyuris hectori, 

 D. anceps, Notoreas insignis, N. orphnaea, N. mechanitis, N. peronata, N. 

 trephosata, N. zopyra, and N. vulcanica. We came to the conclusion that 

 the time for Erebia micans was over, as this butterfly was known to be 

 plentiful in that locality earlier in the season. 



During a ten days' stay up the mountain a large number of species was 

 captured, and especially notable was a Melanchra pictula, on the treacle, 

 at 5,000 ft. 



Treacling at Macetown proved remarkably successful. There were so 

 many moths round each patch of sugar that we did not know how to pick 

 out the rarities. The best were ten beautiful examples of Melanchra pictula 

 and fourteen of Melanchra may a. 



It is a curious fact that we failed to notice a single si^ecimen of Leucania 

 unica during our second visit to Macetown. They seemed to have dis- 

 appeared entirely, which is remarkable, considering what an enormous 

 number there were only a month before. 



During our two visits to Macetown we estimated to have sent between five 

 and six thousand specimens of various species to Wellington for selection. 



Our next instructions were to proceed to Glenorchy, at the head of 

 Lake Wakatipu, and make special endeavours to get speciments of Erebia 

 butleri. Accordingly we left Macetown, and arrived at Glenorchv on the 

 10th February, 1909. 



The following day being beautifully fine, a start was made for Bold 

 Peak, on the Humboldt Range. Half an hour's easy rowing across the lake 

 and a steep climb of about 2,500 ft. over burnt-forest area brings you to 

 the sharply defined bush-line Almost as soon as we got into the snow-grass 

 and tussock Erebia butleri was seen flying lazily about in the sunshine. 

 Proceeding a few hundred feet higher, we were soon busy taking it. 

 Argyrophenga antipodum' were extremely abundant, but we confined our- 

 selves chiefly to the capture of the rarer butterfly. On that day and 

 another which we spent in that locality we succeeded in getting nearly a 

 hundred specimens of E. butleri, the proportion of females (all in poor con- 

 dition) being 1 in 10. 



The alpine flora to be seen on that range is wonderful, and at a higher 

 altitude we seemed to be in one of nature's most beautiful rock-gardens. 

 It would need more than the description of even an ardent botanist to fully 

 appreciate the beautiful sights to be seen there. 



Higher up still, at an altitude of about 6,000 ft., we came upon small 

 colonies of the true Erebia pluto. Twenty-three specimens, of unusually 

 large size, and in the best possible condition, were taken Jrom the shingle 

 slopes on Bold Peak. It was again noticed that these Erebias had a habit 

 of flying over well-defined air-tracks, and they were also extremely hard to 

 kill, as they frequently revived after being in the cyanide killing-bottle for 

 half an hour or more. 



Our next journey was to the Routeburn Hut, at the foot of Lake Harris 

 Saddle. We spent five days there, and encountered very mixed weather. 

 One fine day spent on Lake Harris Saddle was very disappointing to us, and 

 we took only two Erebia butleri, a few Argyrophenga antipodum, and several 

 species of Notoreas. The flowering -plants seemed to be over, and there was 



