96 NEW ZEALAND MACRO-LEPIDOPTERA. 



The perfect insect appears in February and March, and may sometimes be taken at 

 blossoms in the evening. It is also attracted by light, and has been found occasionally, 

 in the daytime, resting on tree-trunks. It hibernates during the winter, coming abroad 

 again the following spring to lay its eggs. I have observed that a good many pupae 

 from the autumnal brood do not emerge until September or October, so that the 

 insect evidently spends the winter both as a pupa and as an imago. 



DECLANA EGEEGIA, Feld. 



(Chknlas egrcgia, Peld. cxxxi. 24 ; Fereday, Trans. N. Z. Inst. xii. 268, pi. ix. 2. Dctunda cgrcgia, 



Meyr., ib. xvi. 101.) 

 (Plate X., fig. 35.) 



This very handsome insect has occurred in the South Island at Nelson, Christchurch, 

 Akaroa and the Otira Gorge. 



The expansion of the wings is about If inches. The fore-wings are creamy-white ; there is a 

 small dark brown mark at the base, a broad transverse wavy brown band before the middle, a very large 

 four-cornered irregular brown mark beyond the middle, one of its corners touching the apex and the 

 other the tornus ; the termen is shaded with pale grey, and there is a series of faint brown marks on 

 the costa and dorsum. The hind-wings are dull white, darker towards the termen ; there are two 

 very faint transverse lines. 



The perfect insect appears from November till February. It is a very rare species. 

 Described and figured from a specimen in Mr. Fereday's collection. 



DECLANA FLOCCOSA, Walk. 



(Dcclana floccosa, Walk. xv. 1649. Argua scabra, Walk, xxviii. 448. Dcclana fcrcdayi, Butl., Proc. 

 Zool. Soc. Lond. 1877, 398, pi. xliii. 5. Declana nigrosparsa, Butl., Cist. Ent. ii. 500. Dcclana floccosa, 

 Meyr., Trans. N. Z. Inst. xvi. 102.) 



(Plate X., figs. 39 to 43 $ varieties, 44 to 47 ? ditto.) 



This species has occurred^ery commonly at Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin. 

 It is probably generally distributed throughout the country. 



The expansion of the wings is about If inches. The fore-wings are pale greyish-white with 

 numerous small brownish-black streaks, exhibiting a slight concentration near the apex. The hind- 

 wings are dull white, clouded with greyish towards the termen. 



This insect is so extremely variable that I have given descriptions of a few of the principal 

 varieties below ; all these forms may, however, be connected by specimens exhibiting every inter- 

 mediate gradation both in colour and in markings. 



1. Fore-wings with several large brown spots near the middle. 



2. Fore-wings covered with numerous black spots (formerly known as Declana nigrosparsa) 



(fig- 47). 



3. Fore-wings with two more or less conspicuous curved black or brown lines from costa to 



dorsum (figs. 41, 42, and 44). 



4. Fore-wings with these transverse lines joined by two others running parallel to dorsum and 



costa. 



5. Fore-wings with transverse lines and black spots (fig. 43). 



6. Fore-wings diffused with dark greyish-black, except two broad bands of the original light 



colour extending from costa to dorsum; hind-wings darker than usual (fig. 45). 



7. Fore-wings with a dark brown central band ; hind-wings clouded with dark brown towards 



termen, with a faint curved transverse line near the middle (figs. 39 and 40). 



All these varieties occasionally have tufts of orange-yellow scales on both the wings and on the 

 body, and they also vary in other minor particulars (fig. 46). 



The egg of this insect when first laid is oval in shape and light green in colour, becoming bronzy 

 a few days before the emergence of the larva. The young larva is very attenuated, with only ten legs. 



