8o NE W ZEALAND ENTOMOLOG Y. 



insect is of an almost uniform pale-green colour. When 

 mature, this caterpillar sometimes constructs a slight cocoon 

 amongst moss, on fallen trees, but more often buries itself 

 in the usual manner, the moth appearing in a few weeks' 

 time. Nearly all pupae collected at random in New 

 Zealand will be found to give rise to either this species 

 or the one which immediately follows (Mamestra compositd). 

 The perfect insect is most abundant in the spring and early 

 summer, but may be found fluttering round lamps on any 

 mild night throughout the year. The sexes differ con- 

 siderably : the female is greyish white, with faint brown 

 markings, while the male is dull reddish-brown, with 

 the markings considerably darker (Fig. 7). His antennae 

 are also slightly pectinated, those of the female being quite 

 simple. 



Family NOCTUID.E. 

 Mamestra composita (Plate X., fig. 3, 3a larva). 



Very common during the spring and autumn in all open 

 situations. 



Its pretty larva (Fig. 3a) feeds on various grasses, and 

 threatens in time to do considerable damage to pastures. 

 The head and dorsal surface of the first segment are dark 

 shining green, with one or two obscure white markings ; 

 the rest of the body is ornamented with a number of 

 parallel brown, white, and orange lines, which render the 

 larva very inconspicuous when amongst the grass. Some- 

 times it occurs in great numbers, nearly every blade of 

 grass having its caterpillar ; in fact this was almost the case 

 in the Wairarapa valley in the summer of 1886, when the 

 larvae must have produced a marked effect on the pad- 

 docks. When full-grown this caterpillar changes into a 

 light chestnut-brown pupa, which lies on the surface of the 

 ground amongst the vegetable refuse. The perfect insect 

 appears in about a month's time, and if the evening be mild 



