The expansion of the wings is 1-5/8 inches. The fore-wings are bright yellowish-brown, paler towards the apex; there are two broad, shaded, black stripes at the base, one near the middle edged with yellow above, and one below the middle edged with yellow beneath; the orbicular is oval, oblique, edged with black except towards the costa; the claviform is rather irregular, dark purplish-brown; _the reniform is very large, dark purplish-brown edged with black; there is a large elongate patch of very dark brown at the tornus, partly edged first with yellow and then with black_; another smaller patch is situated on the termen near the middle, bisected by a fine yellow line. The hind-wings are grey; the cilia of all the wings are yellowish-brown. The head and thorax are purplish-brown, the abdomen dull brownish-grey. MELANCHRA PLENA, Walk. (_Erana plena_, Walk., Suppl. 744. _Mamestra sphagnea_, Feld., Reis. Nov., pl. cix. 17. _Dianthoecia viridis_, Butl., Cist. Ent. ii. 547. _Mamestra plena_, Meyr., Trans. N. Z. Inst. xix. 17.) (Plate IV., fig. 32.) Apparently common in the Canterbury district, where it has been taken at Christchurch and Mount Hutt. In the North Island it has occurred in the neighbourhood of Wellington. It resembles _Melanchra insignis_ in every respect except that the head, thorax, and fore-wings are entirely suffused with green; there is no central black streak at the base, and the orbicular, reniform, and claviform spots are smaller. It varies a little in the intensity of the green colouring. The eggs are deposited early in November. At first they are white in colour, but soon become dull brown, with two concentric circular markings. The young larva closely resembles that of the _Melanchra insignis_, but is much more sluggish. It feeds on grasses and other low plants. In about six weeks' time it is full grown, when it still resembles the caterpillar of _Melanchra insignis_, except that its colouring is considerably darker, and a number of rust-red spots are situated on the subdorsal line. This larva also appears to spend the daytime underground, only coming abroad in the evening to feed. The pupa is concealed in the earth. The perfect insect may be occasionally found at rest on tree-trunks in the forest, where it is very hard to discover, as it almost exactly resembles a little patch of moss or lichen. Specimens are sometimes noticed in the middle of winter, so there is little doubt that this species hibernates. It occurs in spring as late as November, and as the pupæ emerge during the latter end of January the insect is about for most of the year. MELANCHRA LITHIAS, Meyr. (_Mamestra lithias_, Meyr., Trans. N. Z. Inst. xix. 17.) (Plate IV., fig. 33.) Two specimens of this species were taken at Castle Hill by Mr. J. D. Enys, and are now in Mr. Fereday's collection.