Brovun.—On the Habits of Prionoplus reticularis. 287 
kauri tree, with cracked or damaged bark, or one that has been recently 
felled, and, by means of her ovipositor, inserted a certain number of eggs 
which have been duly hatched. On looking at the decumbent log some time 
afterwards, we simply notice its weather-beaten aspect, but if we examine it 
more closely we will perceive some small round holes indicating to an expe- 
rienced eye either the presence or escape of insects. Wishing to ascertain 
the actual state of affairs we use our axe, or tomahawk, and, owing to the 
hard external crust, perhaps imagine the log to be quite sound and merely 
marked superficially, but by dint of a little exertion and perseverance the 
log is at length cut open, and I venture to assert that the sight which will 
then meet the eye of the beholder, if not a naturalist, or one accustomed 
to the ravages of insects, will convince him of the importance of the small 
animals whose existence, probably, had been altogether ignored. I shall 
endeavour to describe the condition of such a log, one that I cut open at 
Parua, near Whangarei harbour. Its external appearance was such as 
has been indicated, but a little below the surface there were many large 
cavities about the size of a man’s finger, occupied by specimens of the 
beetle itself more or less mature, all in positions best calculated to facilitate 
their escape ; a little deeper in, I found pups and larve indiscriminately 
intermingled in a substance more nearly resembling closely-packed, moist 
sawdust than anything else, but not at all like the fine timber we would 
expect to see in a kauri log; on cutting still deeper, or right through, the 
same scene prevailed, varied only by the absence of the beetle and pupa; 
here and there might be noticed pieces of what might be termed wood, but 
with the larve assiduously engaged in devouring it; I could almost have 
kicked the whole to pieces. That log, a settler informed me, had been on 
the ground some eighteen months, but the eggs must have been deposited, 
I suspect, about two years previously. Many, no doubt, will exclaim that 
this is an exceptional case ; the sceptic, however, need only do what I have 
often done, go into the forest and examine a log for himself, and he will 
return, to use an oft-quoted phrase, ** a sadder and a wiser man.” It must 
not be supposed that the ligniperdous proclivities of Prionoplus reticularis 
are confined to the Dammara australis, or that its ravages are unmixed evil; 
I have seen its larve at work in rimu and kahikatea logs, and, in a semi- 
tropical country, wherein the people, apparently, can afford to allow large 
quantities of valuable timber to go to ruin, the insect, conjointly with others, 
devours what would otherwise decay and, during the process, engender 
serious diseases. 
Before leaving this subject, it might not be out of place to direct atten- 
tion to certain facts showing the wonderful sagacity displayed by the insect. 
First of all in the deposition of the eggs ; then, for the purpose of effectual 
