194 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



Among the Lepidoptera, the curious Argyrophenga antipodium 

 mimics tlie blades of the tussock grass by the silvery stripes on 

 the under surface of its wings, which renders the insect almost 

 invisible when it closes its wings and settles in the grass, which 

 it habitually does when pursued. The large Charagia virescens, 

 when perched in the branches of its native tree (Aristotelia 

 racemosa), can only be distinguished with diflEiculty from a leaf. 

 I found a fine male specimen in this situation on October 22nd, 

 1885, which is the only living specimen I have ever seen or taken 

 in the open (Entom. xviii. 34). 



Turning to the Noctuidse, almost all the colouring is pro- 

 tective ; the delicate green mottling of Hadena vigens renders it 

 quite invisible on moss-grown trunks, while the markings of 

 Hadena lignana and Agrotis dehilis closely resemble old lichens. 



The Geometridse nearly all imitate dead leaves and the 

 trunks of trees in their colouring, those of the genus Declana 

 resembling the lumps of lichen, &c., adhering to them. Cidaria 

 verriculata is very curiously coloured, the wings being ornamented 

 with a number of parallel yellow and brownish lines extending 

 right across the insect. They are perfectly straight, and are also 

 continued on the body, and thus form an uninterrupted series. 

 The under surfaces of Dasyuris ])erornata and D. imrtiliniata are 

 ornamented with silver streaks, resembling the grass which they 

 inhabit. 



Among the Micro-Lepidoptera protective colouring is equally 

 prevalent, the insects comprised in this division imitating stones, 

 lichens, and the excrement of birds in their markings, some of 

 the resemblances being very exact. 



The imitative propensities of the Phasmidge among the 

 Orthopteia are so well known that it is almost unnecessary to 

 mention them here. So complete indeed is their resemblance to 

 the twigs of plants that I have frequently caught hold of an 

 insect quite unintentionally. The sexual disparities existing in 

 this family are also very curious, tlie males being only about half 

 the length of their partners and much more attenuated. Their 

 identification is a matter of the greatest uncertainty, as I am 

 confident that their colouring often undergoes a complete 

 alteration owing to their environment, green species being found 

 on young succulent plants, while brown ones are invariably 

 discovered on the trunks of trees, &c., where such colouring is 



