1890.] 245 



or 20 images in my life, and at one time it was certainly not from lack of energy. 

 But I have amassed a considerable quantity of materials. This brings me to my 

 real object in writing these notes. 



The largest number of individuals of European species that I ever obtained at 

 one time came to me from a peculiar source, and in the first instance I had to thank 

 Mr. Stainton for them. His correspondent, Herr Miihlig, of Frankfort-on-the- 

 Maine, had a friend (whose name I never knew) in that city, a Coleopterist, .who, in 

 order to obtain Xylophagous beetles, was in the habit, in winter, of collecting wood 

 in the forest and storing it in a glass-house : the beetles as they emerged were easily 

 secured. But, in addition to beetles, he obtained many other things, and I remember 

 that my first attempt to procure Raphidice from that source resulted in a consign- 

 ment of Xiphydria (another hint !). Eventually, I obtained a large {i. e., for the 

 genus) number of Raphidice, including a probably new species. Collectors, here and 

 elsewhere, might act on this hint. In all probability, wood-feeding Tineina were 

 also obtained, and " circumstances " thus threw the Raphidice in my way. Verbum 

 sap. ! — E. McLachlan, Lewisham, London : August 2nd, 1890. 



Mecyna polygonalis, Tr., in New Zealand. — As Mr. W. W. Smith has abandoned 

 his erroneous and incredible assertion that the larva of M. polygonalis, restricted to 

 Leguminosce in Europe, eats corn crops in New Zealand, I think I am justified in 

 asserting that my contention has now been not only "stated positively," but "proved 

 absolutely." As the habits of M. deprivalis cannot be expected to interest English 

 entomologists particularly, I might have rested satisfied with this, but I suppose I 

 may add a word in support of my accessory statements, and to correct Mr. Smith's 

 misrepresentations of them. 



Ashburton, being about 40 (not 60) miles from Christchurch, is, no doubt, not 

 in the same district in a postal or parochial sense, but entomologically speaking it 

 undoubtedly is, the whole of the Canterbury Plains forming one very uniform dis- 

 trict for faunal purposes. 



M. polygonalis (and 31. deprivalis) are large Pyrales, not small ones, and are, 

 in fact, often quite as large as Heliothis armigera, which is not a large Noctua. I 

 actually knew a case in Australia where I had to intervene to prevent a Lepidopterist 

 from describing this same M. polygonalis as a new species of Triphcena, the descrip- 

 tion being already in type. Of course, my suggestion that Mr. Smith might have 

 confused these two insects was a conjectural solution, intended to help him out of 

 a difficulty. As he repudiates the solution, the difficulty remains. I take it to be 

 as follows : how does he account for the larva of M. deprivalis having formerly con- 

 sumed great quantities of tussock-grass and cereals, when, as he implies, it now does 

 not do so ? If Mr. Fereday, who is a most careful observer of long experience, and 

 is on the spot, will rear some of these larvae on cereals to the perfect state, I shall be 

 convinced ; meanwhile, I continue to regard it as incredible. 



Mr. Smith unjustly quotes me as saying that only two or three species occur on 

 flax lands ; on reference to my words, it will be found that I said, " very few (I 

 know only of two or three) are confined to these grounds," a statement which is 

 absolutely correct. 



Let me add, in reference to Mr. Smith's note on Carpocapsa pomonella, that I 



Y 



