IV. THE PAPILIONINA. 113 



small patch of dark brown near the costa, which touches a white-centred black ocellus. The hind- 

 wings have one large patch of yellowish-orange containing two ocelli; a large ocellus, surrounded 

 by a broad ring of reddish-orange, is situated on the tornus ; the tornus is produced into two 

 very broad but short tails, which are bordered with whire cilia. On the under side the fore- 

 wings are light ochreous-yellow ; there is a shaded brown patch at the base ; the terinen is 

 broadly bordered with brown, the border containing a silver streak ; two broad brown patches 

 are situated on the costa, the outer one terminated by a small ocellus, and enclosing a silvery 

 patch near the apex of the wing. The hind-wings are silvery, narrowly bordered with deep 

 reddish-brown, ivith five deep reddish-brown stripes running from the costa towards the tornus ; 

 the fourth stripe from the base of the wing contains three ocelli surrounded by yellow rings ; 

 a conspicuous ocellus is situated at the tornus, surrounded by a broad orange-red ring. 



This insect appears to vary a little in the extent of the yellowish-orange colouring 

 of the upper side. It also varies in size, specimens from the North Island being 

 slightly larger than those from the South Island. 



The larva feeds on a species of sedge (Galinia setifolia), which always grows 

 abundantly in the birch forests, where the butterflies are found. When full grown the 

 length of this caterpillar is about 1^ inches. Its body is much attenuated at each end 

 and rather stout in the middle ; the head and tail are bifid ; there are numerous 

 straight, shallow, transverse wrinkles on each segment, especially towards the head. 

 The colour is green, with a number of fine, paler and darker green, dorsal and lateral 

 lines ; the head and thirteenth segment are yellowish. The legs are very minute, and 

 the prolegs of moderate size. It is extremely susceptible to the attacks of a Dipterous 

 parasite. In fact, out of thirty larvae kept by Mr. Hawthorne and myself, no less than 

 75 per cent, were thus destroyed. This larva feeds on the leaves of the sedge, 

 eating out long notches parallel to the veins of the leaf. These notches are the 

 best guides to follow in searching for the larva, as the colouring of the caterpillar 

 renders its discovery amongst the food-plant extremely difficult. The larvae should 

 be looked for during the end of December or the beginning of January. 



The pupa is rather stout, light green, with the edge of the wing-case and 

 the prominences formed by the back and palpi, edged with crimson and white. It 

 is suspended by the tail to any firm object in the neighbourhood of the sedge. 



The perfect insect appears in February. It frequents sunny glades in the birch 

 forest, usually at considerable elevations above the sea-level. Mr. Helms informs me 

 that he has seen specimens near Greymouth in October, and hence concludes that 

 there are two broods in the year. The butterfly is very difficult to capture, as it 

 has a most provoking habit of resting on the foliage of the birch- trees, just out of 

 the collector's reach. I am unable to explain the object of the remarkable colouring 

 of the under side of this insect, but it is probably protective, although in what way 

 has yet to be discovered. 



Genus 3. EEEBIA, Dalm. 



"Eyes glabrous. Club of antennas abrupt." (Plate I., figs. 25, 26, and 27 neuration of 

 Erebia pluto.) 



"An extensive and essentially Alpine genus inhabiting the mountains of Europe, 

 Asia, North America, and South Africa. Pupa unattached amongst stem bases of 

 grass." (Meyrick.) 



We have two species in New Zealand. 



15 



