230 Transactions. — Zoology. 



years afterwards, the following will be found to correspond with what usually 

 occurs. On one occasion, when examining the forest north of Whangarei 

 harbour, I noticed a karaka-tvee which had been pierced by insects. I cut 

 it down, and on opening it up found it tenanted by Lasiorhynchus barbicornis 

 in all its stages. The larvse were engaged in the formation of cylindrical 

 drills running in different directions ; the pupas reposed in the attitude 

 described above, i.e., with the head and rostrum (the two conjointly, it 

 will be borne in mind, longer than the body itself) bent along the lower 

 part of the body, in a hole just broad enough to contain the insect, and 

 without external orifice to permit its subsequent egress. I also cut out a 

 few perfect specimens of both sexes ; sometimes these had so nearly effected 

 their exit that the extremity of the beak protruded. Of course there can 

 be no doubt that these beetles had themselves eaten their way through, but 

 what filled me with wonder was, how the pupa, on arriving at maturity, 

 had managed to straighten its rostrum so that the mandibles might be 

 employed to effect its release ? 



The description of the imago appears in my " Manual of the New Zea- 

 land Coleoptera."* Specimens are preserved in the Museum. I now add 

 alcoholic examples of the larvffi and pupae. With these before him, the 

 student may proceed to the investigation of the question propounded, and if 

 he can solve the problem without acknowledging the wonderful designs of 

 the Almighty, he must be hard indeed to convince. 



Art. XXVIII. — On the Larva and Pupa of Ceratognathus irroratus. 

 By Captain T. Broun. 

 [Read before the Auckland Institute, l^th July, 1880.] 

 Larva. 

 Testaceous, head reddish, mandibles black. In form cylindrical, me- 

 dially narrowed, underside nearly plane. The head and three following 

 segments, as well as the three ventral ones, are nearly smooth, the others 

 studded with minute spines and numerous hair-like bristles, the legs thickly 

 clothed with shorter rufous bristles. 



Composed of thhteen segments ; the terminal large, flabby, and uneven, 

 appearing to possess a supplementary anal one, not, however, distinctly 

 defined by any well-marked suture ; the head ovate, deflexed, not so broad 

 in its widest part as the next segment, longitudinally impressed on the 



* "Manual of the New Zealand Coleoptera" (Wellinj^ton, 1880j, p. SAS. 



