Ixxxvii 
Professor Westwood had recently received from a correspondent in New South 
Wales six or eight Cimicide of the family Reduviide (probably’ Enicocephalus 
tasmanicus, Westw., Tr. Ent. Soc. ii. 24), which were described as flying, or rather 
dancing, in the air like midges, and which possessed a pleasant nusk-like scent, which 
communicated itself to the letter in which they were enclosed. 
Mr. Stainton exhibited cases of Coleophora lixella, the larva of which, when young, 
was found to feed on Thymus serpyllum, but afterwards transferred itself to a species 
of grass: cases were shown which were found on grass, but composed of portions of the 
leaf or calyx of thyme. 
Mr. Stainton had intended to have also exhibited the larva of Hyponomeuta 
egregiella, but the specimen had, during the afternoon, begun to spin up in the box, 
and was invisible: the larva had been previously found by M. Milliére, at Cannes, on 
Erica scoparia, and a month ago Mr. Stainton detected it at Fontainebleau, on Erica 
cinerea. 
The Secretary read a letter from Mr. R. W. Fereday, Corresponding Member, of - 
Christchurch, Canterbury, New Zealand, dated 4th of February, 1867, from which the 
following is an extract:— 
“T have much satisfaction in communicating to the Society the capture of a speci- 
men of Cynthia Cardui, in the province of Canterbury, on the 5th January last. The 
plains of Canterbury are separated from the west coast of the island by a range of 
mountains ; one of these is named Mount Torlesse, and is about 6000 feet above the 
level of the sea: immediately adjoining are some lower hills, and it was at the summit 
of one of these, about 3000 feet above the sea, that I met with this butterfly, and 
made the capture. It was flying about and settling on a piece of rock, the herbage up 
to the top of the hill being tolerably luxuriant amongst the stones. It is the only 
specimen I have seen, and have not heard of any one else having seen one in this 
colony. It is so precisely like my English specimens in size, colour and markings, 
with one exception, that I entertain no doubt of the identity of the species. I attri- 
bute the exception to a local variation ; it is with respect to the round spots on the hind 
wings, which in my British specimens have no distinct centres, whilst in this specimen 
ocelli take the place of mere spots ; it is, as it were, a spot of bright light blue, the 
same colour as the small blue marks at the anal angle of the hind wings, introdueed 
into the centres of the normal spots of the English specimens. I enclose a photograph 
of it. I do not recollect whether any of the British examples have the blue centres to 
the spots. If the insect is Cynthia Cardui, of,which I do not entertain a doubt, this 
capture is important, as it will add the link which will complete the circuit of the globe 
in the range of this species.” 
Mr. Bates observed that all the Australian specimens of Pyrameis Cardui have 
ocellate spots on the hind wings, like Mr. Fereday’s New Zealand example; it was 
a local modification, which, being constant, went to show that there had not been any 
recent immigration of the species into Australia or New Zealand. With regard to 
the supposed universal distribution of P. Cardui, Mr. Bates thought this was an error: 
the typical form of the species, no doubt, occurred in Europe and North America, in 
Asia and Java, and in South Africa, and the above-mentioned race occurred in 
Australia and, as now appeared, in New Zealand ; but the South American specimens 
which were reputed to be P. Cardui were, in fact, a rosy variety of P. Huntera. 
