98 



Hilo, is closely allied to the remarkable Tantalus species, which 

 I specially noticed in last year's address on the insects of that 

 mountain. The giant species of Scotorythra are common, and 

 the still larger Acrodrepanis occurs on the Olaa side. Six out of 

 eight of the native species of Leucania occur, and all of the most 

 remarkable species. Species of Scoparia are a feature of the lo- 

 cality being extremely numerous, as also are individuals of 

 several species of Orthomecyna and Mestolobes. Many other nice 

 Pyralidina are conspicuous, species of Margaronia, Omiodes, 

 Phlyctaenia, Talis and the remarkable Hyperectis, while a Ptero- 

 phorid swarms amongst the Vaccinium. Tineina are in profusion 

 at certain (and irregular) seasons, and a number of large species 

 of Tortricina occur, but the latter are generally scarce. The 

 Microlepidoptera require special collecting. They should always 

 be killed with ammonia and pinned in the field on silver wires, 

 directly they are caught. I shall not attempt to draw up a list 

 of species of this Order, which would be of great length, the 

 genera Agrotis, Leucania, Scotorythra and Scoparia including 

 many species. The butterfly Pyrameis tameamea is very 

 abundant and very variable in color on the underside, while the 

 little blue, Lycaena blackburni, swarms on the bushes of Dodonaea 

 viscosa, on which the caterpillar feeds. 



DIPTERA. 



The flies are represented by numerous endemic species, mostly 

 very small and obscure forms. The Drosophilidae and Dolich- 

 opodidae include most of these, and they are probably still more 

 abundant at lower elevations in Olaa. Most conspicuous are the 

 Sarcophagid flies of the genus Dyscritomyia and Prosthetochaeta. 

 They may be seen buzzing round the herbage or shrubs in a very 

 Tachina-like manner and in fact often in company with these 

 parasites. Their habits are yet unknown. I had long supposed 

 them to be parasitic on cutworms, but the discovery by Mr. 

 Terry, that they produce living maggots of large size, makes this 

 supposition less probable. The fact that they often frequent 

 the driest and most arid localities, where there is little or no 

 decaying vegetable matter, and that, in other places where such 

 matter exists, one does not find fly maggots therein, that could 

 produce these large species; the further fact that animal matter 

 under natural conditions in the islands was necessarily almost 



