X.—THE 
the termen, which also has several projections; there is a faint 
blackish line near the base, and a much stronger black line near 
the middle, starting from the dorsum and reaching about half- 
way across the wing. The female has the fore-wings dark 
purplish-brown, with the median band paler; the hind-wings are 
also considerably darker than those in the male. 
This species varies a little in the depth of the ground 
colour. 
The young larva, immediately after first moult, is about 
4 inch in length, dull ochreous with a conspicuous blackish 
dorsal line and three or four fine, bright red, lateral lines, 
another blackish line being situated below the spiracles; the 
head is pale ochreous dotted with black, and the entire larva 
is clothed with father long black hairs. It feeds on Polystichwm 
vestitum, and when resting on the hairy under side of the fronds 
of this fern it is extremely hard to see. The full-grown larva is 
from 14 to 11 inches in length, rather elongate, slightly thick- 
ened posteriorly, pale brownish ochreous, sometimes slightly 
tinged with green and speckled with reddish-brown, especially 
towards the extremities; there is a very broad brownish band on 
the back edged with blackish; this band is very faintly indicated 
on segments 2, 3 and 4, and its edges marked by blackish dots 
only on segments 10, 11 and 12; segment 12 is humped, with a 
strong oblique lateral stripe; there are conspicuous slightly 
oblique black markings on the sides of segments 6, 7, 8 and 9 
and a black and whitish lateral line on segments 2, 3 and 4; 
the whole larva is densely covered with very fine blackish hairs. 
There is considerable variation in the depth of the colouring, 
some individuals being much paler than others. 
The pupa is enclosed in a light cocoon, constructed of 
the brown hairy scales of the fern. It is usually affixed to 
the underside of one of the fronds. 
The perfect insect appears from December till March, 
and is found in forests. It generally occurs wherever its 
foodplant is abundant from which it ean often be dis- 
lodged. It is fairly common in many of the densely 
wooded valleys on the West Coast of the South Island, 
and has a distinet predilection for localities having a heavy 
rainfall. 
AZELINA GALLARIA. 
(Selenia gallaria, Walk., Cat. xx., 185; Butl., Cat. N.Z. Lep. 
pl. iii., 6, 7;Huchlaena (?) palthidata, Feld., Reis. Nov. pl. 
Cxxxii., 21, 22; Ischalis thermochromata, Walk., Cat. xxvi., 
1750;Stratocleis gallaria, Meyr., Trans. N.Z. Inst. xvi., 105; 
Azelina gallaria, ib. xx., 62.) 
(Plate XVIII., figs. 1-4 4 varieties; 5, 6 9 ditto; Plate IL., fig. 
6 larva.) 
This extremely variable species has occurred at Kaeo 
(North Auckland), Whangarei, Thames, Ohakune, Puke- 
tiritiri, near Napier, Makotuku, Palmerston North and 
Wellington in the North Island. In the South Island it 
has been found at Christchurch and Dunedin. It also 
occurs on Stewart Island. 
The expansion of the wings of the male is 1} inches; of 
the female 13 inches. The fore-wings of the male vary from 
pale yellowish-brown to bright orange-brown, or reddish-brown; 
there isa wavy transverse line about 4, often obsolete except on 
the costa; another wavy transverse line beyond the middle, also 
frequently obsolete except on the costa; followed by a very con- 
spicuous straight line, often double, running obliquely from wu 
little before the apex to the dorsum; outside this line, near the 
GEOMETRIDAE. 
149 
tornus, there are, in most specimens, two black spots or one 
large rust-red spot; the termen has two projections near the 
apex, inside which there is usually a darker blotch. The hind- 
wings are as variable in colour as the fore-wings; there is one 
wavy line near the base, followed by an almost straight line, 
which is a continuation of the straight line of the fore-wing; 
beyond this line the ground colour is generally much darker and 
is often purplish-tinged; the termen itself has no projections. 
The female has broader wings and a shorter body than the 
male;. the ground colour and markings are similar to those of 
the male, but are usually more sombre and more strongly tinged 
with purple; the termen of both fore- and hind-wings; has a 
number of prominent projections. The under side of the wings 
in both sexes is beautifully marbled with yellow and reddish- 
brown, and several of the markings of the upper surface are 
faintly indicated. 
This species, as will be seen from the foregoing, is so 
extremely variable that a more detailed description would 
be useless, especially as the straight, oblique, transverse 
lines of both fore- and hind-wings together with the insect’s 
smaller size, will distinguish it from the other members 
of the genus. Some very striking forms (figs. 3 and 5) 
oceur, in both sexes, where the ground colour of the median 
band of the fore-wings is very much paler than the deep 
brown basal and terminal areas and in these the terminal 
area of the hind-wings is also dark brown. As a rule, 
however, the ground colouring is fairly uniform, the cnly 
raarkings consisting of the transverse lines and blotches 
already described. 
The egg is hemispherical, considerably flattened above, pale 
straw-colour, covered with numerous minute depressions. 
The young larva, which does not eat the egg-shell on 
emergence, is about + inch in length, reddish ochreous with a 
very broad crimson line on each side; there are numerous large 
greenish-black warts, each wart emitting several long black 
bristles. The full-grown larva is about 14 inches in length, 
rather slender, cylindrical, with a strong hump on the back of 
segment 12, its colour varies from pale dull olive-green to dull 
blackish-red; there is usually an interrupted dorsal stripe, often 
containing fainter spots and frequently indistinct, except at the 
segmental divisions, as well as a series of more or less indefinite 
lateral stripes; the surface of the larva is much wrinkled and 
covered with very fine black down; there are also numerous 
minute brown and whitish-grey dots which make all the mark- 
ings very indefinite; an irregular series of yellow tubercles is 
situated on the lateral line. 
This larva feeds during the autumn and winter on 
Dryopteris pennigera, a fern which grows very commonly 
on the banks of streams in dense forests. When young, it 
rests on the edges of the fern fronds, where it is extremely 
difficult to see, but older larvae usually cling to the midrib. 
The pupa is enclosed in a light cocoon formed by 
fastening two of the side fronds together with; silk, the 
insect passing the rest of the winter in this condition. 
The moth appears from November till March. It 
frequents dense forest, and is most abundant at the flowers 
of the white rata in the evening. Earlier in the year, 
before the rata blooms, it may sometimes be taken at sugar. 
Like Gargaphia muriferata this insect falls like a dead 
leaf, the wings being held motionless and the moth falling 
slowly through the air and coming to rest on the ground 

