171 
Blatta (vulgo “cock-roach”) of which I convinced myself, that like 
the chinches it can really squirt at pleasure a corrosive fluid , the 
penetrating smell of which is intolerable. In Auckland it is dreaded 
so much, that in wood-houses, vaults, and damp places special care 
is taken, not to come into contact with the vermin, since in that 
case it infects every tiling for days at a time with the most terrible 
stench imaginable. Because of this property which is especially 
characteristic of the wood-bugs, the colonists call it wood-bug. 
Of the real wood-bugs, however, there arc likewise some species. 
This Blatta is doubtless the same as the insect named by the 
natives Kikararu, which was erroneously taken for a bug. It is a 
new species, described by Mr. Brunner of Vienna, as Polywsteria 
Nov ce Zelandice. 
It might not be improper to mention here also the 
Aweto or Hotete the large (nigt-buttcrfly) caterpillar, from 
the head of which a parasitical fungus, Splicer! a Roberts li, 
grows out; hence the name “Vegetating Caterpillar” among 
the colonists. A large portion of such caterpillars die of 
it, while burying themselves in the ground for the purpose 
of changing into a chrysalis. A peculiarity of this fungus 
is this, that the stem bearing the seed-spurs as its end, 
rises nearly exclusively in the neck of the caterpillar be- 
tween the head and the first ring of the body. Of 
hundreds of specimens that I examined, there was only 
a single one, the fungus of which had grown out of the 
aft-end of the caterpillar. The natives eat this vegetating 
caterpillar. 
The known species of Crust acece in New Zealand 
were increased through the Novara collections by twelve 
new ones. The Brachyura are most numerous, and crabs 
are found everywhere on the seashore. The Bernhard 
crabs, although not very numerous, are still not utterly 
wanting. Of the Macrura I may mention especially Para- 
nephrops tenuicomis Dana, which I found to be quite num- 
erous in all the rivers; the natives call it Koura, which 
