Floiccring Plants of Kcv: Zealand. 93 



mind that Mr Wallace's data, though in the main correct, 

 are necessarily imperfect, for our kuowledge of the insect 

 fauna is still very incomplete, and requires a great amount 

 of working up. A comparison of the numbers of insects as 

 given in Mr Wallace's work, and as known now, may prove 

 to be of interest, particularly as showing what orders are 

 collected by visiting naturalists, and have consequently 

 been fairly well worked up. 



Mr Wallace gives the number of indigenous species of 

 butterflies as 11, Mr Butler of the British Museum as 15, 

 while Mr Fereday of Christchurch, a local entomologist 

 who is intimately acquainted with the Lepidoptera, enumer- 

 ates 18 species. Mr Wallace mentions the occurrence of our 

 two hawk-moths SpJuni: Conrolvidi and Aegeria tijyuh'formis, 

 the latter supposed to have been introduced with the 

 currant, but he makes no mention of any other moths. 

 Mr Fereday, however, informs me that many hundred 

 species of these exist, some of wliich are described in 

 numerous publications, while a still greater number are 

 undescribed. Besides being represented by numerous 

 species, this division of the Lepidoptera is extremely rich 

 in individuals. Their habits, food of caterpillars, &c., are 

 very little known, but their is no mistake about their 

 numbers. They rise from the grass in summer evenings in 

 myriads, and are common at all elevations from sea-level 

 to 6000 feet. Many of our flowers are exclusively fertilised 

 by them, and probably all of them visit flowers for their 

 nectar. It would throw some light on this subject if we 

 could obtain information as to whether these insects are 

 mostly attracted by sight or smell ; and also as to the 

 relative lengths of their probosces. As compared with the 

 other orders of insects in New Zealand, Mr Fereday con- 

 siders the moths to be well represented. 



Mr Wallace states the Coleoptera at 300 species, be- 

 longing to about 150 genera. But Captain Broun, who 

 has worked up this branch of the New Zealand Fauna with 

 great care and success, informs me that there are about 

 1300 species described. Omitting altogether such families 

 as the Carabidce, which are almost all predaceous ground- 

 beetles, the littoral Bi/nastuhc, &c., we find that beetles 

 play a very important part in this country in flower-fertilisa- 



