VI—THE BUTTERFLIES. 33 
brownish-black, with a broad white band across the middle, sev- 
eral small white spots, and a double series of white markings 
parallel to the termen; all the wings of the female have brilliant 
bluish reflections near the white spots. On the under side the 
wings of both sexes are rich brown with white markings, and a 
double series of white crescents on the termen. 
The female appears to be very variable in almost every 
respect. 
Mr. W. W. Froggatt informs me that in Australia the 
larva of H. bolina feeds upon Sida rhombifola and S. 
retusa (Paddy’s lucerne) as well as on various species of 
Portulacae. The light green, fluted eggs are deposited in 
patches on the underside of the leaves of the food plant. 
The larvae, when first hatched, congregate together, and 
are green with the head black. The full-grown larva, as 
observed in the Marquesas Islands, is thus described by 
Commander J. J. Walker :-— 
Length from 1% to more than 2 inches: Cylindrical, rather 
stout, a little attenuated in front. Head a little larger than 
second segment, deeply bifid at top, and bearing, on each lobe, 
a long blackish spine pointing upwards and a little forwards: 
colour light reddish-brown or burnt sienna. Body deep brownish- 
black, with a rather well defined, irregular, sub-spiracular, longi- 
tudinal stripe on each side, light burnt-sienna colour: legs and 
prolegs of the same tint. Segments 3 to 12 bear eight ochreous- 
orange, slightly-branched spines about 4 inch long, rigid and 
somewhat irritating when handled: segment 2 has only two 
short spines on either side. Spiracles black, surrounded with 
ochreous-yellow. The pupa, which is suspended by the tail, is 
stout: palpi-cases rather distinct, front of thorax very convex, 
with a strong, toothed, lateral crest. Abdomen very stout and 
rather abruptly truncated, bearing five longitudinal rows of sharp 
pointed tubercles, the outer ones only distinct on the anterior 
segments. Anal appendage rather short and stout. Colour dark, 
dull, umber-brown, irregularly blotched with a lighter and more 
ochreous tint, especially on the wing-cases.* 
The perfect insect appears from January till May. 
From its large size and brilliant colouring it is easily 
recognised. Although rare in New Zealand, it is very 
common in Australia. It also occurs in Java, New Guinea, 
the Loyalty Islands, Fiji, Polynesia, and throughout the 
Oriental region. A smaller representative is found in 
Samoa (Hypolimnas otaheitae, Feld.), which is probably 
only a variety of this species. ' 
Genus 2.—PRECIS, \Hiibn, 
Eyes glabrous. Club of antennae abrupt. Fore-wings, with 
vein 10 separate. Hind-wings with transverse vein, absent be- 
tween veins 4 and 5. 
We have one species in New Zealand. 
PRECIS VELLEDA. 
(Junonia velleda, Fabr. Mant! Insect., 35, 1787.) 
(Plate-TV.,, fig. 15; 9.) 
This butterfly was very common throughout the 
Wellington district during the summer of 1886-87, but to 

*Trans. Ent. Soc. Lond., 1923, 649, 650. This description 
appears in a most interesting article, by Prof. Poulton, F.R.S., 
entitled “ Mimicry in the Butterflies of Fiji.” Much information 
is here given relative to H. bolina in Fiji and Polynesia, together 
with a series of beautiful coloured plates, illustrating its life 
history and variation. 
Cc 
the best of my knowledge the insect had not previously 
been observed in New Zealand. Mr. R. Holloway informed 
me that he met with it on the sea coast near New Ply- 
mouth, in 1893, and at Motueka in 1898. Since then Mr. 
Harold Hamilton captured a single specimen on Mount 
Greenland, in March 1910, and another specimen was seen 
by Mr. Howes at Dunedin, in 1918. In 1922 and 1923, Mr. 
Philpott and Mr. W. Wastney observed the insect’ in 
Nelson, and in 1924 quite a number of specimens were 
detected by Mr. Grimmett in the same locality. Finally 
Mr. Ferguson records the occurrence of Precis velleda at 
Tutukaka, Whangarei, in the late summer of 1925; the 
insect was captured by Mr. Gourlay in Nelson at the same 
time, and Master Clarence Palmer secured a specimen at 
Cobden, near Greymouth, on January 16th of the same 
year; a further specimen was taken at Waiuku in 
September. 
The expansion of the wings is nearly 2 inches. On the 
upper side all the wings are dull blackish-brown, with greenish 
or bronzy reflections. The fore-wings have two broad orange- 
brown stripes on the costa, and a very large patch of the same 
colour along the termen, containing a large black spot with a 
bluish-white centre; there are three irregular whitish marks near 
the apex of the wing, and a minute blue-centred ocellus. The 
hind-wings have two very large orange-brown spots almost touch- 
ing each other near the termen; each of these contains a large 
blue-centred ocellus in the middle; there are also two terminal 
rows of brown crescent-shaped markings. Underneath, the mark- 
ings of the fore-wings resemble those of the upper side, but they 
are very much paler, and the ground colour is light! brown. The 
hind-wings are pale brown, with a wavy black line across the 
middle, followed by a brown shading towards the termen; there 
are also four small round black spots and a series of irregular 
black dots near the termen. 
The perfect insect occurred very plentifully in 
December, 1886, and January and February, 1887. It 
was fond of settling on barren, stony places in the hot sun- 
shine, and was very timid and difficult to catch, darting 
off with great rapidity when approached. During that 
season I managed to secure about nine specimens, some of 
them in very good condition. I am unable to explain the 
sudden appearance of this butterfly in New Zealand at that 
time. The large numbers, which were observed over 
extended areas, could not have been due to accidental 
importation from Australia, and we must therefore assume 
that its advent was the result of extensive immigration. 
It is, however, remarkable that the butterfly was not 
observed in this country before 1887, and that it has been 
so seldom seen since. This may, however, be due to its 
superficial resemblance to Vanessa cardui, for which it 
might readily be mistaken when flying. On this account 
it is very desirable that entomologists should endeavour to 
detect and record all appearances of Precis velleda in the 
future. 
This butterfly has a very wide geographical range, 
being found in Java, Sumatra, Tasmania and all parts of 
the Australian Continent. About the year 1830 it was 
deseribed by Stephens, in his ‘British Entomology,’ under 
the name of Cynthia hampstediensis, on account of its 

