140 



may be seen during the summei", dancing with their peculiar jerky flight over 

 pk^ts of short grass by creek sides and in simikir situations. I have now 

 mentioned all the butterflies which I know of existing in Otago ; they are few 

 in number, but there must be several other species to be met with if they 

 were to be searched for. 



Of the moths of Otago, the commonest is a day-flier, Avhich has black 

 wings with white sjjots, the abdomen annulated with orange, and the antennge 

 pectinated. This moth is frequently mistaken for a butterfly. This, however, 

 it is not, but a true moth, belonging to the family Chelooiidce. It is common 

 all summer, and makes its first appearance in October, There is another 

 representative of this family which I have met with, and which, though not 

 so handsome as some of its British congeners, is one of the most brilliantly 

 coloured New Zealand moths known to me. In appearance it greatly resembles 

 the wood tiger {NemeopMla Plantagenis), is a strong flier, and difficult to cap- 

 ture, though, like the previous one, it also enjoys the sunshine. The larvse are 

 black hairy caterpillars, which do not seem to be at all particular as to what they 

 eat, for they seem to devour indiscriminately the grass and other small 

 herbage. 1 have seen them in the interior, in the neighbourhood of Hamilton 

 and Hyde, where, in the early part of the summer of 1866, they were so 

 numerous as to blacken the ground in places, especially where the shorter grass 

 grew, at the sides of tracks or water races. There are probably two broods a 

 year, for the moths from the early brood come out about the end of November 

 and beginning of December. There is another moth common iip-country 

 which I have only noticed where spear-grass i^Aciphylla Colensoi) abounded ; 

 it is remarkable moie for its size than its beauty, for it is all of a light fawn 

 colour. It is, howevei-, the largest of the Otago moths I have seen, yet not 

 ver'y large, being only three inches across the wings. Whether the larvse 

 feed on the speai'-grass, or on some plant which grows in the same places, 

 I know not. 



The Geometrina are pretty well represented. There is one insect in this 

 family which is veiy common, and which is rather handsome though its 

 colours are sombre, for its markings are pretty, and it is much larger than the 

 majority of the moths of this group. It may be found by searching during 

 the day in the corners of out-houses and in other dark places. 



Our commonest moth in Otago is one belonging to the Nocturna, as it may 

 be caught almost any summer night in great numbers by exhibiting a light. 

 There may be, I think, tsvo or three kinds of this moth, for I have seen 

 specimens bearing a great family likeness, and yet showing great diversity in 

 their markings ; yet even among those I had in my possession, there were some 

 specimens which I felt sure belonged to the same sj^ecies, and yet the markings 

 varied considerably. 



The last moth [ shall refer to is one belonging to the Hepicdidce, which 



