300 INSECTS 



Vanessa atalanta, Linn. English Red Admiral Butterfly 

 Mr T. W. Kirk captured specimens of this species in the Wellington 

 Botanical Gardens, during the summer of 1881, and saw others on 

 several subsequent occasions. Mr A. Philpott saw a specimen in a 

 collection of Lepidoptera made by Mr Dunlop of the Orepuki Shale 

 Works, who informed him that this was the only one secured out of 

 several seen. Mr Howes, however, is of opinion that the specimen 

 was brought out from Britain by Mr Dunlop, as he saw it shortly 

 after his arrival here. There is evidently some doubt about its occur- 

 rence in Southland. 



Vanessa urticce, Linn. Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly 



Found by Mr T. W. Kirk at the same time and in the same locality 

 as the preceding species. No later record of its occurrence is known. 



Junonia vellida, Fabr. 



Mr Hudson states that this butterfly was common in the Cook 

 Strait region in 1886-87, "'ut that only one or two specimens had 

 been seen since then. He considered it to be a natural immigrant 

 from Australia, where it is common. 



Miss Castles informs me that it was taken at New Plymouth in 

 1893 (where Mr W. W. Smith also reports it as taken occasionally), 

 andatMotuekainiSgS. In March, 1910, it was taken at Mt Greenland 

 in Westland by Mr H. Hamilton. Lastly Mr Howes saw (but could 

 not capture) a specimen in Dunedin in 1918. 



Sub-order HETEROCERA 



Family Bombycid^ 



Bombyx mart, Linn. Silkworm 



I cannot find out the earliest date at which silkworms were intro- 

 duced into New Zealand, but about 1863, Mr T. C. Batchelor, of 

 Nelson, was rearing Tuscan worms with considerable success. 



(Further information on the subject will be found in Appendix B, 

 p. 560.) 



Family Caradrinid^ 

 Heliothis arntigera, Hubner. Tomato Caterpillar 



This cosmopolitan moth, which is known in America as the 

 cotton-ball worm and the corn worm, and in Australia as the maize 

 moth, was reported to the Agricultural Department in 1907 from 

 several locaUties. Several consignments of tomatoes from Sydney 

 were found to be infested with this pest. Mr Howes says it is some- 



