THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 
Vou. XVI.) OCTOBER, 1888. [No. 245. 
LIFE-HISTORY OF VANESSA GONERILLA. 
By Gro. Vernon Hupson. 
One of the commonest, and at the same time one of the most 
beautiful, of the very limited Rhopalocerous fauna of New 
Zealand is Vanessa gonerilla. 
The following paper, which treats of the life-history of this 
insect, will I trust be of some interest to the readers of the 
‘ Entomologist.’ 
The eggs in shape are almost exactly like those of V. urtice, 
being of a light green colour with the ribs white, and are 
deposited on the leaves of a dwarf species of stinging nettle, 
which grows in moderately open spots in the forest, amongst the 
numerous ferns. It is by no means common, and is therefore 
very difficult to find. 
The young larva, upon its emergence from the egg, is of a 
dusky straw colour, with the spines and head black. I am not 
sure of the exact duration of the first period of its life, as the 
only specimen I reared from the egg died two days after it 
emerged; but it is probably not longer than a week before its 
first moult occurs. During its second stage it is of a nearly 
uniform brown colour, the subdorsal and lateral lines being but 
faintly indicated. In about ten days it prepares to change its skin 
for the second time, constructing for that purpose a small 
dwelling out of a rolled leaf, which it devours when this operation 
is completed. After moulting, no great alteration is observable 
in the colouring of the larva, the stronger appearance of the white 
lateral lines being the most conspicuous feature. In another two 
weeks the third and last moult takes place, which is performed in 
a similar manner, and after this the brood contains no less than 
20 
