HISTORICAL SKETCH. 
Xe 
HISTORICAL SKETCH. 
HE EARLIEST collections of New Zealand insects 
qe were made by the naturalists who accompanied 
Captain Cook in his first and second voyages round 
the world. In the first voyage, 1769-70, Sir Joseph Banks 
brought home a few insects, and these were deseribed in 
1774-75 by Fabricius. Hence it happens that our two most 
familiar butterflies, Vanessa gonertlla and Chrysophanus 
salustius, were named by that old-time naturalist. In- 1840 
Dr. E. Dieffenbach travelled through the North Island of 
New Zealand and the Chatham Islands. His collections 
were described by Dr. J. Gray and Dr. Richardson. In the 
appendix to the account of Dieffenbach’s travels, Dr. Gray, 
Director of the British Museum, gave a list of the New 
Zealand Lepidoptera then known. 
In 1841 H.M.S. ‘‘Erebus’’ and ‘‘Terror,’’ under the 
command of Sir James Ross, visited Campbell Island, the 
Auckland Islands and the Bay of Islands. Some of the 
Lepidoptera were described by Mr. A. White in 1846, but 
publication was then interrupted for want of funds, until 
1874, when the rest of the Lepidoptera were described by, 
Mr. A. G. Butler, of the British Museum. 
Between 1845 and 1860 collections made by the fol- 
lowing local naturalists were sent to the British Museum 
and the Lepidoptera were deseribed by Mr. F. Walker and 
Mr. A. G. Butler, chiefly in publications issued by the 
Museum. 
1845—Farl, North Island. 
847—Dr. Andrew Sinclair, R.N., Auckland. 
1851—Churton. 
1853—Rev. W. Colenso. 
1854Colonel Bolton, Auckland. 
1860—Oxley, Auckland. 
In connection with these very early collections it is of 
interest to record that the original specimens, from which 
Doubleday named and described our well-known butterfly, 
Argyrophenga antipodum, ‘‘ were obtained by Mr. P. Earl, 
who discovered them on a plain in the southern island of 
New Zealand.’’ The first specimens of Chrysophanus 
boldenarum, which were sent to England, and from which 
White named and described the species in 1862, were dis- 
eovered by the Rev. W. Colenso in 1853. 
In 1859 the Austrian frigate ‘‘ Novara ’’ visited New 
Zealand, and a considerable number of species of Lepidop- 
tera then discovered were deseribed by Felder and the 
descriptions published in Vienna in 1864-69. 
In 1862 Mr. R. W. Fereday arrived in New Zealand 
and settled in Canterbury. He assiduously collected Lepi- 
doptera, chiefly in the South Island, and discovered a great 
many of our species. Mr. Fereday was much assisted in his 
entomdlogical work by Mr. J. D. Enys, of Castle Hill, who 
discovered, amongst many other things, both our alpine 
butterflies, Hrebia pluto and Erebia butleri. Erebia pluto 
was briefly described and named by Mr. Fereday in 1871, 
and EHrebia butlert described and figured by him in 1879. 
In 1880 Mr. Enys issued an illustrated catalogue of New 
Zealand butterflies. After Mr. Fereday’s death in 1899, 
his entomological collections were acquired by the Christ- 
church Museum, but unfortunately the original labelling 
of the specimens has been very much altered, and the 
collection thus deprived of much of its historical and 
scientific value. 
From about 1870 until about 1888 Mr. R. Helms 
industriously collected insects in the neighbourhood of 
Greymouth. At that time the entomology of the West 
Coast of New Zealand was practically untouched, and as 
a result Mr. Helms was responsible for the discovery of 
many very striking species, especially amongst the Coleop- 
tera, to which he was principally devoted. His most 
important discoveries amongst the Lepidoptera were 
Titanomis sisyrota in 1874, and Dodonidia helmsi in 1881. 
In 1879 Mr. E. Meyrick visited New Zealand and 
collected and described Lepidoptera with great energy at 
intermittent periods until his final departure for England 
in 1886. Sinee that time he has continued to deseribe 
numerous species forwarded to him by local naturalists and 
his papers in the Transactions of the New Zealand Insti- 
tute and elsewhere, extending over a period of more than 
44 years, constitute by far the most important contributions 
to Science on the subject. 
From 1890 until 1920 Mr. Alfred Philpott collected 
and investigated the Lepidoptera of Southland, and has 
deseribed many new species in the Transactions of the 
New Zealand Institute. It is to his energy and acumen that 
we are indebted for a knowledge of certain difficult, but 
distinet species, which have eluded the notice of other 
observers. Since 1920 Mr. Philpott has studied the Lepi- 
doptera of the Nelson district. 
In 1907 the late Mr. Augustus Hamilton inaugurated 
the formation of a very valuable collection of Lepidoptera, 
for the Dominion Museum at Wellington, which has very 
materially extended our knowledge. In this undertaking 
he was assisted by Mr. Harold Hamilton, Mr. W. G. Howes, 
Mr. F. 8. Oliver and others. 
In 1899 the author’s first book on New Zealand moths 
and butterflies appeared, of which the present work is a 
revised and greatly extended edition, 

