The Zoologist— June, 1867. 799 



Erica scoparia, and a month ago Mr. Stainton detected it at Fontainebleau, on Erica 



cinerea. 



The' Secretary read a letter from Mr. R. W. Fereday, Corresponding Member, of 

 Christchurch, Canterbury, New Zealand, dated 4th of February, 1867, of which the 

 following is an extract: — 



" T have much satisfaction in communicating to the Society the capture of a speci- 

 men of Cynthia Cardui, in the province of Canterbury, on the 5th January last. The 

 plains of Canterbury are separated from the west coast of the island by a range of 

 mountains ; one of these is named Mount Torlesse, and is about 6000 feet above the 

 level of the sea : immediately adjoining are some lower hills, and it was at the summit 

 of one of these, about 3000 feet above the sea, that I met with this butterfly, and 

 made the capture. It was flying about and settling on a piece of rock, the herbage up 

 to the top of the hill being tolerably luxuriant amongst the stones. It is the only 

 specimen I have seen, and have not heard of any one else having seen one in this 

 colony It is so precisely like my English specimens in size, colour and markings, 

 with one exception, that I entertain no doubt of the identity of the species. I attri- 

 bute the exception to a local variation ; it is with respect to the round spots on the hind 

 wings which in my British specimens have no distinct centres, whilst in this specimen 

 ocelli take the place of mere spots; it is, as it were, a spot of bright light blue, the 

 same colour as the small blue marks at the anal angle of the hind wings, introduced 

 into the centres of the normal spots of the English specimens. I enclose a photograph 

 of it I do not recollect whether any of the British examples have the blue centres to 

 the spots. If the insect is Cynthia Cardui, of which I do not entertain a doubt, this 

 capture is important, as it will add the link which will complete the circuit of the globe 

 in the range of this species." 



Mr. Bates observed that all the Australian specimens of Pyrameis Cardui have 

 ocellate spots on the hind wings like Mr. Fereday's New Zealand example; it was 

 a local modification, which, being constant, went to show that there had not been any 

 recent immigration of the species into Australia or New Zealand. With regard to 

 the supposed universal distribution of P. Cardui, Mr. Bates thought this was alienor: 

 the typical form of the species, no doubt, occurred in Europe and North America, in 

 Asia and Java, and in South Africa, and the above-mentioned race occurred in 

 Australia and, as now appeared, in New Zealand ; but the South American specimens 

 which were reputed to be P. Cardui were, in fact, a rosy variety of P. Huntera. 



The Secretary read a letter from Mr. C. A. Wilson, Corresponding Member, dated 

 Adelaide, 27th of February, 1867, in which the writer gave the following account, on 

 the authority of his brother, Mr. Theodore Wilson :— " One day in December last, 

 while stopping for a while under a tree at Cockatoo Valley, I saw a centipede actually 

 slain by the heat. He dropped from a branch of the tree under which I was standing, 

 and immediately made off at a great rate to find shelter, but he unfortunately came 

 upon a piece of sand which was so intensely hot that he could not make any headway ; 

 his pace became slower, he turned about and savagely bit the leaves and sticks near 

 him then straggled, turned on his side, and gave up the ghost. In a minute or two 

 he was shrivelled up like a piece of bark. I felt the sand where he was ; it was so hot 

 that it would have blistered my fingers had I kept them there a sho.t time." Mr. 

 C. A. Wilson also announced the discovery, by Mrs. Kreusler aud Mr. Odewahn, of 



