THE WETA 
35 
All three flying beetles described on p. 33 have 
similar habits* but they can be distinguished from 
one another by careful examination. Swarms of 
the Hairy Brown Beetles are on the wing, at dusk 
and later, for a few weeks before the Glass Grub 
Beetles appear, and are frequently mistaken for 
these. 
THE WETA 
DESCRIPTION—The two species most fre¬ 
quently seen are the Cave Weta and the tree W el a, 
of which the latter is the larger. It is glossy 
yellowish-brown in colour, the head of the male 
being dark brown above and black below its 
powerful jaws. Its head, with its bulging eyes and 
jaws like an eagle’s beak, is its most distinctive 
feature. Its antennae are very long and are usually 
held near its sides or over its back, extending a 
short distance beyond the end of its body. The 
back legs have numerous spurs which the male 
Wetas bring into full use when fighting one another. 
Like the Mantis, the Weta has its ears on the inside 
covering of its front legs, and they can be distin¬ 
guished by two small black patches (see p. 30). 
HABITS—Wetas feed only at night time. The 
males attract their mates by a strange scratchy 
sound, produced by scraping their legs along their 
sides. They frequently fight, and when doing so 
present a most amusing sight, as they bring their 
long spurred hind legs over their backs and above 
their heads. Climbs well, often found in highest 
branches of trees. 
