


38 VI—THE 
This butterfly frequents open situations, and in fine, 
sunny weather it is often very common. The male appears 
somewhat earlier in the season than the female, and seems 
to be very much more numerous. In fact, I have, at times, 
counted as many as fourteen males to one female, but it 
is unlikely that there is such a great disparity between the 
numbers of the sexes as this would indicate. The apparent 
excess of males is most likely largely due to their greater 
activity. 
In places where this butterfly is abundant it is often 
possible, by means of a lantern, to discover individuals 
asleep. At such times the insect’ simply perches amongst 
foliage with its wings closed, and in this situation the 
bright yellow colouring of the underside strongly suggests 
a faded leaf. As the leaves of so many of our native 
shrubs turn bright yellow before they fall, it is probable 
that the colouring of the underside of the butterfly is 
highly protective. Specimens may also be observed at 
rest on leaves or twigs exposed to the rain. Beyond 
becoming slightly wet on the head and palpi, the insect 
escapes any harm, as the water runs off the wings which 
are held in the usual upright position. 
CHRYSOPHANUS ENYSII. 
(Chrysophanus enysii, Butler, Ent. Mo. Mag. xiii. 153 (1876).) 
CElatenVa ue ae COMA me ong under-side; Plate I, figs. 5, 7, 
larvae; 6 pupa.) 
Although not nearly so common as Chrysophanus 
salustius, this species is probably generally distributed 
throughout the country. It has occurred at Palmerston 
North, Lake Horowhenua and Wellington in the North 
Island, and at Nelson, Poherua, near Greymouth, and Lake 
Wakatipu in the South Island, but apparently it is not 
found further south than Wakatipu. 
The expansion of the wings varies from 14 to 12 inches. 
On the upper surface both sexes resemble the female of Chryso- 
phanus salustius, except that the dark markings are very much 
broader, and the coppery colour is paler and less lustrous. On 
the under-side the fore-wings are pale yellowish-brown, bordered 
with darker brown, with three black spots near the middle, and 
a chain of black spots beyond the middle. The hind-wings are 
yellow, with a very large irregular patch of purplish brown 
extending over the costal and terminal portions. 
The insect varies chiefly in the extent of the dark 
markings on the upper side, which sometimes very much 
encroach on the golden ground colour. The spaces 
between veins 2, 3, and 4, near their origin are sometimes 
yellow and sometimes black, but, as every intermediate 
form exists, cannot be distinguished as species. Mr. Fere- 
day regarded the form with the black spaces as C. fere- 
dayi, Bates. As previously stated, however, I am satisfied 
that C. feredayi, Bates, is the same form as C. rauparaha, 
Fereday. Occasionally specimens are met with having 
the whole of the underside of the hind-wings clouded with 
dull brown, but these individuals are always much darker, 
and have much heavier black markings on the upper side, 
than any of the varieties of C. salustius. 
BUTTERFLIES. 
The larva, which feeds on Miihlenbeckia, is about half 
an inch in length, onisciform, very dark, rich green, with 
a darker stripe down the midback; there are several 
obscure diagonal markings on each side, and the whole 
larva is clothed with numerous very minute reddish 
bristles and many extremely minute yellowish dots. The 
head and prolegs are very small, pale ochreous, and the 
spiracles are reddish-brown. Younger larvae are paler 
ereen, some with a reddish stripe down the back. The 
young larvae feed on the green fleshy surface of the leaf, 
but older larvae devour the edge, eating out excisions in 
the usual way. This larva is very sluggish in its habits. 
Immediately prior to pupation it encloses itself in a folded 
leaf, or between two leaves, and its colour changes to a 
very dull olive green. The pupa is about three-eighths of 
an inch in length; very stout, blunt, with the segmental 
divisions obscurely indicated; dull reddish-brown, speckled 
with blackish and shaded with very dull greenish-brown 
on the wing-ecases and towards the thorax; there is an 
obscure row of paler spiracular spots. It is attached by 
the tail within the leafy tent and sometimes a few silken 
threads are stretched across its back. The perfect insect 
appears from the middle of November until the middle of 
February. Its period of greatest abundance extends from 
about the third week of December until the third week in 
January. Young larvae go into winter quarters in the 
autumn and hybernate, becoming full grown in October, 
or early in November. At this time stray specimens of 
the larva may often be beaten from shrubs which are 
covered with a dense growth of Miihlenbeckia. In the 
neighbourhood of Wellington this butterfly is often very 
common in sunny glades amongst scrubby forest, but it is 
very rarely met with in the open country. There appears 
to be less disparity between the numbers of each sex than 
in Chrysophanus salustius, but from their duller colouring 
neither of the sexes of C. enysti are as conspicuous as the 
males of C. salustius. 
CHRYSOPHANUS BOLDENARUM. 
(Lycaena boldenarum, White, Proc. Ent. Soc., Ser. 3, 1, p. 
26 (1862). Chrysophanus boldenarum, Butl., Zool. Erebus and 
Terror, Ins. Lep., p. 29, n. 8, pl. 8, figs. 8, 9 (1874).) 
(Plate V., fig. 1 ¢@, 2 9 Mount Arthur form; 3 4, 4 9 lowland 
Canterbury form; 5 @, 6 9 Lake Wakatipu high mountain 
form; 14 4,15 @ Nelson lowland form; 16, 17 under-sides. 
Plate I., fig. 10 larva.) ; 
This brilliant little butterfly is very common in most 
localities in the South Island. In the North Island it has 
occurred at Ohakune, Waimarino, Waiouru, Napier, Rangi- 
tikei, Masterton and Lakes Wairarapa and Taupo. 
The expansion of the wings is ~ inch. On the upper side 
the male has all the wings brown, tinged with the most brilliant 
glistening purple. The fore-wings have two or three black spots 
near the middle, a curved series beyond the middle, and on the 
termen. The hind-wings have two black spots near the middle, 
a series beyond the middle, and a terminal series, sometimes 
with blue centres. All the wings are narrowly bordered with 
