The expansion of the wings is 1 inch. The fore-wings are dull purplish-brown; _there is an oblong black mark at the base of the dorsum containing a slender curved white line_; the orbicular is rather small, round, margined first with dull white and then with black; the reniform is large, oblong, dull white, margined with pale ochreous towards the base of the wing; _there is a conspicuous oblong black mark between the orbicular and reniform stigmata_. The hind-wings are dull grey, with the cilia paler. The perfect insect appears in January. One specimen was taken at sugar in the Wellington Botanical Gardens, and two specimens are recorded from Canterbury. It is evidently a scarce species. Genus 2.--ORTHOSIA, Ochs. "Head rough-scaled; eyes naked, ciliated. Antennæ in male ciliated. Thorax with or without anterior crest. Abdomen not crested. "A considerable genus of nearly universal distribution, though mainly found in temperate regions of both hemispheres. The imagos are almost all autumnal, and their yellow and ferruginous colouring is doubtless adapted to the autumn tints of falling leaves."--(Meyrick.) Represented in New Zealand by three species. ORTHOSIA MARGARITA, Hawth. (_Orthosia margarita_, Hawth., Trans. N. Z. Inst. xxix. 283.) (Plate V., fig. 31.) This species was discovered at Wellington by Mr. E. F. Hawthorne. The expansion of the wings is about 1-1/3 inches. The fore-wings are dark brownish-black and rather glossy; there are several obscure dark marks near the base; the orbicular is oval, oblique, brownish-yellow, slightly darker in the middle; the claviform is almost obsolete; the reniform is rather large, bordered with dull white towards the base and termen; beyond the reniform there is a very distinct wavy transverse line; another line is situated near the termen emitting several black wedge-shaped markings from its inner edge. _The hind-wings are shining white and iridescent, with the veins black and the costa and termen narrowly shaded with black._ Described and figured from specimens in Mr. Hawthorne's collection. {7}ORTHOSIA COMMA, Walk. (_Mamestra comma_, Walk., Noct. 239; Butl., Voy. Ereb., pl. ix., 6. _Graphiphora implexa_, Walk., Noct. 405. _Hadena plusiata_, ib., Suppl. 742; _Nitocris bicomma_, Gn., Ent. Mon. Mag. v., 4. _Orthosia comma_, Meyr., Trans. N. Z. Inst. xix. 30.) (Plate V., fig. 27 [M], 28 [F]; Plate III., fig. 11, larva.) This is apparently a common and generally distributed species. It has occurred plentifully at Wellington, Blenheim, Christchurch, and Rakaia.