328 Transactions. 
over the plants, I opened one of the cocoons, and what I found made me 
hastily open the rest: the worst had happened—all had recently emerged 
and flown. Less than an hour later I visited Mr. Clarke, an r 
inspecting the plants I had given him, there, resting on one of the leaves 
just above its cocoon, was a splendid specimen of C. iridoxa. The other 
three in Mr. Clarke's care emerged during the next few days. What was 
considered to be a rare moth proves to be plentiful and widespread, its 
emergence in the very early spring being the secret of its supposed scarcity, 
since almost all alpine collecting in New Zealand has been done in mid- 
summer. 
The Imago. 
A most beautiful moth, metallic purple-bronze with pale lemon-yellow 
markings. 
Meyrick's Original Description.—See Trans. N.Z. Inst., vol. 48, p. 417, 
1916. 
Distribution. 
First taken on Mount Burns, Hunter Mountains, 3,250 ft., on 29th 
December, 1914, by Mr. Philpott. I think the imago was. not again seen 
till Mr. Clarke and myself reared it as noted above. The moth is, however, 
a common one, its mines being very numerous on Mounts Egmont and | 
Ruapehu; Mr. Clarke has found them plentiful on many of the mountains 
of Otago; Mr. Philpott records them as common on the Mount Arthur 
track at 4,000 ft.; and Mr. Fenwick has sent me specimens and records them 
numerous on the Milford track. 
Food-plant. 
Astelia montana (alpine bush-flax). 
The Ovum and Egg-laying. 
Nothing known. 
The Larva. (Plate 26, fig. 1.) 
A full-grown larva is 21mm. or more in length, cylindrical, spindle- 
shaped, its greatest diameter about 3mm. at the third abdominal segment, 
thence much attenuated towards either end. To the naked eye it is 
mo when exposed. The segments are shallowly incised, 
excepting the seventh and eighth abdominals. Spiracles small, brown, 
The Mine. (Plate 25.) 
Commencing in the region of the tip of the leaf, the gallery, at first 
about mm. in width, gradually assumes its markedly zigzag character, 
