802 Transactions.—Z oology. 
knew that it belonged to the Noctuina group, but that was all. So I sent 
an outline of its appearanee to Mr. Fereday, the celebrated entomologist 
residing at Christchurch, enquiring if there were any such specimens in the 
Museum there, or if he knew of such a moth. From Mr. Fereday I 
received a very kind and full reply, that, while there were no specimens of 
this moth in the Canterbury Museum, he had one (a female) in his own 
possession, which had been taken some years ago at Nelson; and that, 
though rare, the perfect insect had been described, and was the Dasypodia 
selenophora of Guenee.* 
And now for a brief description of the perfect insect. 
Its size across, with wings extended, is 9' 8"; length of body, 1’ 
9": the body thick, with 7 segments, but tapering downwards rapidly 
from its second segment almost to a point at the tail (not unlike, in this 
respect, those well-known British species of the Sphingide family, Smerinthus 
tilig, and Cherocampa porcellus), and densely covered with very long 
down. Antenne, nearly l' long, slender and evenly attenuated, but not 
smooth, being apparently very finely and regularly ringed and serrulated ; 
legs, large and stout. 
Its colour, on the other side, when living, was a sooty black ; but after 
death it changed to a dark umber colour, with dark zig-zag and other 
markings on its wings (somewhat resembling those on the wings of the 
Emperor Moth, Saturnia pavonia-minor), and with a peculiar large and 
lustrous ocellated spot on each fore wing near the costa—in a line with the 
anal angle; all the wings are ciliated, bearing minute whitish dots at the 
extremities of the nerves or rays just within the margin. Its colour on the 
under side was ochrous or fulvous; the legs, amber-coloured below the 
knee, but its thighs were ochrous, and thickly covered with excessively long 
and waving down; its horns also were ochrous coloured but darker at 
their bases. 
While living, it was a truly superb, rich, velvety-looking creature ; 
presenting, too, when at rest, such a regular and graceful equi-triangular 
outline. The eyes on its wings had (if I may so express myself) a living 
look, much as the irises of the eyes of men and animals are sometimes 
drawn when represented under bright light. Those spots, or eyes, were all 
alike, black, but the two circular rims round each, and the lunate or 
triangular iris-pupil-like part within were shining lustrous and Waxy, Or as 
if strongly gummed. What with its fine moony eyes on its wings, and its 
long wavy down on its thighs, it well deserved its expressive name, both 
generic and specific. I could not help thanking its describer, for it is not 
often that we find so fit and distinguishing a name given in these modern 
* In Spécies Général des Lépidoptéres Nocturnes. 
