﻿CoLENSO. 
  — 
  On 
  the 
  Metamorphosis 
  of 
  DasypocUa 
  selenophora. 
  S03 
  

  

  times, 
  either 
  to 
  an 
  animal 
  or 
  to 
  a 
  plant. 
  Mucli, 
  however, 
  of 
  its 
  surpassing 
  

   beauty 
  quickly 
  faded 
  after 
  death, 
  which 
  I 
  attributed 
  to 
  the 
  fumes 
  of 
  the 
  

   sulphur 
  I 
  had 
  used 
  in 
  killing 
  it, 
  not 
  having 
  any 
  chloroform 
  at 
  hand, 
  and 
  

   leaving 
  home 
  on 
  that 
  very 
  day 
  by 
  train 
  to 
  visit 
  the 
  country 
  schools. 
  

  

  The 
  ^j;/jya-case 
  (after 
  the 
  moth 
  had 
  emerged) 
  is 
  nearly 
  cylindrical, 
  very 
  

   obtuse 
  at 
  the 
  head, 
  and 
  tapering 
  regularly 
  downwards 
  from 
  end 
  of 
  folded 
  

   wings 
  at 
  4th 
  segment, 
  and 
  pointed 
  conical 
  at 
  the 
  tail 
  ; 
  length, 
  1" 
  3'", 
  and 
  

   diameter 
  in 
  thickest 
  part 
  6"' 
  ; 
  suspended 
  slightly 
  by 
  tail 
  ; 
  well-marked 
  in 
  

   front 
  with 
  folds 
  of 
  wings 
  and 
  antennae, 
  eyes 
  and 
  head 
  of 
  imago, 
  and 
  very 
  

   strongly 
  with 
  7-ringed 
  segments, 
  each 
  having 
  two 
  long 
  spiracle 
  marks, 
  one 
  

   on 
  each 
  side. 
  Colour 
  dark 
  red 
  (garnet), 
  with 
  a 
  blueish 
  or 
  violet 
  bloom 
  

   (dust), 
  but 
  smooth 
  and 
  shining 
  on 
  its 
  prominent 
  parts. 
  

  

  Cocoon 
  very 
  small, 
  white 
  and 
  coarse, 
  almost 
  woolly 
  ; 
  just 
  sufficient 
  to 
  

   hold 
  the 
  edges 
  of 
  the 
  leaf 
  down 
  to 
  paper, 
  where, 
  however, 
  it 
  was 
  strongly 
  

   fastened 
  ; 
  fsecal 
  pellets 
  emitted 
  after 
  enclosure. 
  

  

  The 
  imago 
  had 
  made 
  its 
  exit 
  by 
  a 
  small 
  round 
  hole 
  at 
  the 
  top 
  of 
  pupa- 
  

   case, 
  back 
  of 
  the 
  head, 
  the 
  case 
  having 
  also 
  slightly 
  given 
  way 
  down 
  the 
  

   costal 
  marking 
  of 
  the 
  wings 
  on 
  each 
  side. 
  

  

  Note. 
  — 
  Dr. 
  Dieffenbach 
  saw 
  the 
  moth 
  I 
  had 
  raised 
  from 
  the 
  larvas 
  referred 
  

   to 
  (in 
  the 
  note, 
  p 
  301), 
  at 
  my 
  house 
  in 
  the 
  Bay 
  of 
  Islands, 
  where 
  he 
  was 
  a 
  

   frequent 
  visitor 
  during 
  his 
  stay 
  there 
  in 
  the 
  summer 
  of 
  1840-1841 
  ; 
  and 
  

   from 
  me 
  the 
  doctor 
  obtained 
  not 
  a 
  few 
  specimens 
  and 
  much 
  information 
  

   (like 
  many 
  other 
  visitors 
  of 
  that 
  early 
  period), 
  which, 
  however, 
  he 
  never 
  

   acknowledged. 
  

  

  As 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  of 
  some 
  little 
  interest 
  I 
  will 
  just 
  quote 
  what 
  I 
  then 
  wrote 
  

   about 
  that 
  larva 
  and 
  imago, 
  in 
  a 
  letter 
  to 
  Sir 
  W. 
  Hooker, 
  dated 
  "July, 
  

   1841," 
  and 
  published 
  by 
  him 
  in 
  the 
  London 
  Journal 
  of 
  Botany 
  (1842), 
  vol. 
  

   I., 
  pp. 
  304, 
  305. 
  

  

  " 
  In 
  a 
  phial 
  you 
  will 
  find 
  specimens 
  of 
  what 
  I 
  believe 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  true 
  

   larvcB 
  of 
  Spharia 
  robertsii/^ 
  These 
  larva 
  are 
  abundant 
  in 
  then- 
  season 
  

   on 
  the 
  foliage 
  of 
  Batatas 
  eclidis 
  (?) 
  f, 
  the 
  Jmmara 
  of 
  the 
  New 
  Zealanders; 
  

   to 
  the 
  great 
  distress 
  of 
  the 
  natives, 
  who 
  cultivate 
  this 
  root 
  as 
  a 
  main 
  article 
  

   of 
  their 
  food, 
  and 
  whose 
  occupation, 
  at 
  such 
  times, 
  is 
  to 
  collect 
  and 
  destroy 
  

   them, 
  which 
  they 
  do 
  in 
  great 
  numbers. 
  They 
  vary 
  a 
  little 
  in 
  colour, 
  as 
  

   may 
  be 
  observed 
  in 
  the 
  specimens 
  sent. 
  The 
  New 
  Zealanders 
  call 
  them 
  

   Hotete 
  and 
  Aniihe 
  (the 
  same 
  names 
  which 
  they 
  apply 
  to 
  the 
  Sphceria 
  

   robertsii 
  itself), 
  and 
  always 
  speak 
  of 
  them 
  as 
  identical 
  with 
  that 
  Fungus. 
  

   The 
  common 
  behef 
  is, 
  that 
  both 
  (those 
  Hving 
  on 
  the 
  kumara 
  and 
  those 
  

   which 
  bear 
  the 
  Fungi 
  j 
  alike 
  descend 
  from 
  the 
  clouds 
  I 
  this 
  opinion 
  doubtless 
  

   arising 
  from 
  their 
  sudden 
  appearance 
  and 
  countless 
  numbers. 
  

  

  * 
  Cordiceps 
  robertsii. 
  — 
  Hand-Book, 
  Fl. 
  N.Z. 
  

   t 
  Ipomaa 
  c/trj/6soj7u«a.~Hand-Book, 
  Fl. 
  N.Z. 
  

  

  