NATURAL HISTORY. 
419 
a very troublesome summer guest: it is, however, easily de¬ 
stroyed. 
Musca, {sarcophaga, Icemica.)—Rango pango, Patupaearehe , 
the blue bottle fly; it produces its young alive, and the female 
makes an intolerable noise until she is delivered. The male 
is smaller and much quieter. I have seen a female when killed, 
devoured by her own progeny. This fly is considered as an 
aitua, or omen of death, and very naturally, for being a meat 
fly, it scents diseased persons, who being never washed as they 
approach their dissolution, become most foetid. 
{Musca), rango tua maro, the large yellow-bodied meat fly; 
this is similar in its character to the former. 
There is also a very fine large forest fly, covered with great 
bristles; it is rarely seen. It is doubtful whether the meat 
flies are not of Australian origin ; both the English and Aus¬ 
tralian house flies have been introduced. 
The mosquito, (culex,) waewae roa, is also very abundant, 
and annoying; the natives say it was introduced by the 
Europeans. 
Homoptera. —One of the largest insects is the weta, which 
is found in the forest, amongst decayed timber ; it has powerful 
serrated legs, with which it seizes its prey, and crushes it in its 
joints, wounding with its sharp spines ; it is otherwise harmless. 
There are many varieties of the grasshopper {locustidce), 
maivitiwiti, some of these attain a very large size ; one of the 
largest, pakauroaroa, is of a bright green color : there is also 
a small black one. 
Cicada, Zeal: —There are four varieties of the tarakihi 
(locust) ; these lively and noisy insects are only heard in 
summer: one is very beautiful, being of a light green color, 
streaked with silver bands, and all have three bright red spots 
on the forehead, disposed in the form of a triangle, which shine 
like little rubies. 
The wairaka, ro, {mantis,) also abounds ; some of these inte¬ 
resting insects are of considerable size, and of a bright green 
color. The case of the imperfect insect is curiously made of 
little twigs glued together, forming a kind of sack, which the 
inmate has the power of moving about at pleasure, from 
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