The expansion of the wings of the male is 1¾ inches, of the female 2 inches. The fore-wings of the male are rich orange-brown, paler towards the base. There are two very broad, longitudinal, yellowish stripes, one on the costa and the other on the dorsum. The costal stripe divides into two branches before its termination, one of which is produced downwards; there is also a _conspicuous white mark a little beyond the middle of the wing emitting two tooth-like projections towards the termen_, and two narrow, dark brown streaks near the base of the wing. The hind-wings are dark brownish-grey. The head, thorax, and abdomen are yellowish-brown, and the antennæ are very strongly bipectinated. The female is much narrower in the wings, the ground colouring is dull brown, and the markings are all dull yellow. This species varies slightly in the intensity of the markings. The moth appears early in January. It is much attracted by light. In 1891 I took over twenty specimens by means of a single candle exhibited, during three evenings, {15}at the door of my tent. Prior to this date only one specimen had been taken by Mr. Meyrick during January, 1886. All these moths were met with over 3,500 feet above the sea-level, so that the insect is evidently confined to mountain regions. Genus 7.--MELANCHRA, Hb. "Head rough-scaled; eyes hairy. Antennæ in [M] ciliated, or sometimes bipectinated with apex simple. Thorax with more or less developed anterior and posterior crests. Abdomen more or less crested, in [F] obtuse. Anterior tibiæ rarely with apical hook." "A large genus of very general distribution, but much commoner in temperate regions of both hemispheres. Relatively much more numerous in New Zealand than elsewhere."--(Meyrick.) This genus includes no less than thirty-four species. Some of these are extremely difficult to distinguish owing to the obscurity of their markings, which offer unusual obstacles to clear description and delineation. I have, however, endeavoured to point out what, in my opinion, constitute the most reliable distinctions; but I fear that amongst those species, where only one or two specimens are known, cases of real difficulty will arise. Future investigation will no doubt result in a remodelling of some of the more obscure species in this genus. It may be well to point out that the genus _Melanchra_ was formerly known by the name of _Mamestra_. MELANCHRA DISJUNGENS, Walk. (_Heliophobus disjungens_, Walk., Noct. 1681; Butl., Voy. Ereb., pl. ix. 1. _Hadena nervata_, Gn., Ent. Mo. Mag. v. 40. _Mamestra disjungens_, Meyr., Trans. N. Z. Inst. xix. 15.) (Plate V., fig. 43.) This species has occurred in the South Island at Ashburton and at Rakaia.