New Zealand their numbers are at times reinforced by migra- 

 tion from that continent across the Tasman Sea, with the aid 

 of the prevailing strong westerly winds of those latitudes. 

 One of the Lycaenidae, Zizera lahradus Godt. [Lycaena pJioebe 

 Murray), is widely distributed throughout Australia and the 

 Pacific Islands. The remaining ten species form a little 

 endemic group of exceptional interest. The most showy 

 butterfly is the beautiful Pyrameis gonerilla F., which repre- 

 sents our " Red Admiral " in the Dominion, and greatly 

 resembles it in appearance and familiar habits ; its larva, 

 too, feeds in a closely similar manner on the big shrubby 

 nettle Urticaferox, in little tents made of leaves spun together. 

 It is generally common throughout New Zealand, from the 

 North Cape to Stewart Island, and is represented in the 

 Chatham Islands by the closely allied P. ada Alfken. Three 

 pretty species of Chrysophanus are also widely distributed; 

 C. saluslius F. is the commonest of these, the more handsome 

 C. feredayi Bates being somewhat more local, and the larvae 

 of both species may be found feeding on the imported sorrel 

 in the same way as that of our C. phlaeas. The little purple- 

 flushed C. holdenarum White occurs, sometimes abundantly, 

 in dry stony places and shingly river-beds, a;nd the incon- 

 spicuous Lycaena oxleyi Feld. is usually met with in similar 

 situations. 



By far the most interesting butterflies in New Zealand are 

 the four endemic species of Satyridae, each one being the sole 

 rej)resentative of its genus. Dodonidia helmsi Fereday, a 

 somewhat rare and very richly coloured insect, flies in 

 February in sunny openings in the forests on both sides of 

 Cook's Strait, usually at a considerable height above the 

 ground, and its capture is thus by no means easy; the food- 

 plant of its larva is the large sedge or " cutting-grass," Gahnia 

 setifolia. The other three species are, so far as is known, 

 entirely confined to the South Island. Argyrophenga anti- 

 podtim Dbld. is the characteristic butterfly of the " tussock- 

 lands," its range extending from near sea-level to upwards 

 of 4000 feet, and where it occurs it is often very abundant. 

 The underside of the wings of this butterfly, with its longi- 

 tudinal silvery stripes on a ground-colour of soft ochreous- 



