Transcriber's note: A few typographical errors have been corrected: they are listed at the end of the text. Text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_). Page numbers enclosed by curly braces (example: {25}) have been incorporated to facilitate the use of the General Index. * * * * * Frontispiece. [Illustration] Fig. 1. Bolitophila luminosa. 1_a_. Larva, 1_b_. Pupa. AN ELEMENTARY MANUAL OF NEW ZEALAND ENTOMOLOGY. BEING An Introduction to the Study OF OUR NATIVE INSECTS. _WITH 21 COLOURED PLATES._ BY G. V. HUDSON, F.E.S., WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND. London: WEST, NEWMAN, & CO., 54, HATTON GARDEN. 1892. To THE RIGHT HON. LORD WALSINGHAM, M.A., F.R.S., F.L.S., F.Z.S., LATE PRESIDENT OF THE ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF LONDON, THIS LITTLE BOOK IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED BY THE AUTHOR. PREFACE. The object of the present volume is to give a brief account of the Natural History of the insects inhabiting New Zealand in a form intelligible to the ordinary reader. For this reason every effort has been made to avoid all unnecessary technicalities, and to adapt the book as far as possible to the requirements of youthful entomologists and collectors. Several very elaborate systematic lists and descriptions have been published from time to time of the insects of New Zealand, amongst which may be specially mentioned--Captain Broun's "Manual of New Zealand Coleoptera," the illustrated "Catalogue of New Zealand Butterflies," edited by Mr. Enys, and Mr. Meyrick's "Monographs" of various groups of the Lepidoptera; but as yet no attempt has been made to present the subject in a suitable form for beginners. It is hoped that this book will, to some extent, fill up the blank, and help to render what is now one of the most popular natural sciences in Europe, equally appreciated in New Zealand. The author is much indebted to Captain Broun, Mr. R. W. Fereday, Mr. E. Meyrick, and others, for assistance in identifying the various species mentioned in this work. _Wellington, New Zealand, 1891._ CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. PAGE GENERAL OBSERVATIONS 1 CHAPTER II. COLLECTING INSECTS 9 CHAPTER III. THE COLEOPTERA 19 CHAPTER IV. THE HYMENOPTERA 33 CHAPTER V. THE DIPTERA 40 CHAPTER VI. THE LEPIDOPTERA 65 CHAPTER VII. THE NEUROPTERA 99 CHAPTER VIII. THE ORTHOPTERA 103 CHAPTER IX. THE HEMIPTERA 118 GENERAL INDEX 123 EXPLANATION OF PLATES 129 {1}AN ELEMENTARY MANUAL OF NEW ZEALAND ENTOMOLOGY. ------ CHAPTER I General Observations.