VI—THE BUTTERFLIES. 30 
The increasing warmth of the sunshine soon hardens the 
wings sufficiently to allow the new-born butterfly to fly 
away. 
This insect ig very common in most situations from 
January till April. It lives through the winter, appearing 
again on fine days towards the end of August. During 
the spring and early summer these hybernated individuals 
occur in great profusion, a few specimens always remain- 
ing until the earliest of the new ones have emerged; so 
that about November we may often observe both hyber- 
nated and recent’ specimens together. 
In the autumn these butterflies are seen feasting on 
the flowers of the white rata or seabious, and thus preparing 
for their long winter sleep. A stray specimen may also some- 
times be observed on the wing during very mild, sunny 
days even in the depth of winter. At this season I have, 
on one or two occasions, discovered the torpid butterfly, 
hidden amongst a mass of dry, withered foliage, where it 
had evidently found a suitable refuge from the elements. 
In the spring the insect is most abundant in the vicinity 
of the nettle-plants, where the females are busily engaged 
depositing their eggs. On one occasion I observed a speci- 
men ovipositing in the autumn. 
I have noticed that this butterfly possesses the power 
of emitting a distinct grating or hissing noise, evidently 
closely resembling the sound which has been observed to 
be emitted by several European species of the genus.* 
This sound is only made when a specimen is roused from 
a semi-torpid condition; and it is thought that it may be 
useful to the insect for the purpose of intimidating 
intruders during its period of hybernation. 
This butterfly is a rapid flier and may often be seen 
pursuing a straight course high above the tree-tops, 
apparently migrating in search of fresh breeding-grounds. 
It appears to have a singular liking for hill-tops, and a 
specimen which has selected one of these places will keep 
on returning to the same spot, after being repeatedly 
frightened away. In such situations, if the weather be 
calm and sunny, we may frequently see two specimens 
engaged in aerial battle. They fly upwards, and coursing 
round each other with great velocity, almost disappear in 
the clear blue sky. <A few seconds later the two insects, 
gently fanning their wings in the warm sunshine, are again 
seen in their respective places. 
This species is also found on high mountains, where 
I have often observed it between 4000 and 5000 feet above 
the sea level. 
On the Chatham Islands a form of Vanessa gonerilla 
occurs (Plate V. fig. 31), in which the ground colour of 
the upper side may be very slightly bluer than usual, and 
the sprinkling of golden scales on base of wings slightly 
less pronounced. On the underside, the apex of the fore- 
wings and the whole of the hind-wings are strongly 
suffused with bright reddish-brown. The indentations on 
the margins of the hindwings are also less pronounced than 
in the typical form of Vanessa gonerilla. Mr. C. Lindsay, 
who recently collected quite a number of these butterflies 
at the Chathams, informs me that they are much more 
timid and harder to catch than the ordinary Vanessa gone- 
rila, and that their manner of flight is somewhat 
different.* 
VANESSA ITEA. 
(Papilio itea, Fabr., Syst. Ent., p. 498, n. 238 (1775); Dono- 
van Ins. New Holland, pl. 26, fig. 1 (1805). Vanessa itea, Godart, 
Ene. Meth. ix. p. 321, n. 57 (1819); White in Taylor’s New 
Zealand, pl. 2, figs. 2, 2 (1855). Bassaris itea, Hubner, Samml. 
Esot. Schmett. (1816-24). Pyrameis itea, Doubleday, Gen. Diurn. 
Lepid., p. 202 (1849).) 
CElater IV. 1125 -Sa0o 
This beautiful butterfly is fairly common and gene- 
rally distributed throughout the North Island. At 
Wanganui, Mr. Drew informs me, it is often as common 
as Vanessa gonerilla, but in the Wellington district it is 
usually rather secaree. An exception, however, occurred 
in the autumn of the year 1899, when it was abundant in 
all the gardens and other open spaces around Wellington, 
being at that time even commoner than V. gonerilla. In 
the South Island V. itea has occurred in the Nelson, Marl- 
borough and Christchurch districts. 
The expansion of the wings is from 24 to 24 inches. The 
fore-wings are black, becoming reddish-brown speckled with gold 
towards the base; there is a very broad yellow band nearly across 
the middle, and one yellow and two white spots near the apex. 
The hind-wings are rich reddish-brown, broadly bordered with 
black, especially towards the costa; there are four small black 
spots with blue centres near the termen, and a blue stripe bor- 
dered with black at the tornus. The under surface closely resem- 
bles that of Vanessa gonerilla, except that the red patch on the 
fore-wings is replaced by pale yellow, and the markings on the 
hind-wings are more sharply defined. 
The transformations of this’ insect very closely 
resemble those of Vanessa gonerilla, the egg, however, has 
only eight ribs. The food-plant of the larva is stinging 
nettle (Urtica incisa). 
The perfect insect appears from November till April 
or May, hybernated specimens being found early in the 
spring. It is very fond of selecting a perch on the top of a 
hill, and often engages in violent encounters with Vanessa 
gonerilla. During the contest both insects course round 
each other with great rapidity, and generally ascend to a 
considerable elevation. They almost invariably return to 
their former resting-places. This is a fortunate habit for 
the collector, as it frequently enables him to ultimately 
capture a specimen, which he has almost touched with the 
net on several previous occasions. I have noticed this 
propensity to return to a favourite perch in the European 
species of the genus Vanessa, so that it is most likely a 
congenital habit of immense antiquity. 

*See notes by Stainton in the Ent. Mo. Mag., xxv. pp. 225, 268. 
* Vanessa ida ? Alfken, Zool. Anz. xxii. 5. (1899). 


