A single specimen of this handsome insect was taken in the Wellington Botanical Gardens in October, 1887. The expansion of the wings is nearly two inches. _The fore-wings are rich chocolate-brown, with yellow markings outlined in very deep brown_; there is a rather broad broken transverse line near the base; a yellow blotch containing a slender curved brown line, on the dorsum at about one-fourth, forming the end of another extremely broken transverse line; _the reniform is large, finely outlined with brown towards the base of the wing and half filled in with yellow towards the termen; between the reniform and the dorsum there is a jagged yellow transverse line_; there is a terminal series of dark brown streaks and yellow spots, and the termen itself is scalloped; the cilia are dark brown. The hind-wings are pale brown, pinkish tinged; there is an obscure terminal line; the cilia are brownish-pink. The head and thorax are dark brown, the abdomen pale brown, with the crests darker. MELANCHRA PELISTIS, Meyr. (_Mamestra pelistis_, Meyr., Trans. N. Z. Inst. xix. 20.) (Plate V., fig. 3 [M], 4 [F].) This species has occurred at Wellington and at Paikakariki, in the North Island. In the South Island it has been found at Akaroa and Lake Coleridge. The expansion of the wings is about 1½ inches. The fore-wings are dull ochreous more or less shaded with dark reddish-brown, _especially in the vicinity of the transverse lines_; there are several obscure pale marks near the base; _the orbicular is grey, margined towards the dorsum with a conspicuous white or dull yellow crescentic line; the claviform is small, round, dull grey, edged with darker; the reniform is large, darker grey, paler towards the costa, margined with {20}white or dull yellow towards the base of the wing and termen_; there are two obscure transverse lines, the outer one often being slightly toothed towards the termen; sometimes there is a terminal series of minute black marks; the cilia are brown. The hind-wings are dark grey, with the cilia white. This species varies considerably in the ground colouring of the fore-wings. In some specimens the wing is almost entirely rich reddish-brown, whilst in others this colouring is confined to the vicinity of the stigmata and transverse lines. Numerous intermediate varieties exist which seem to connect these two forms. The perfect insect appears in January, February, and March. It is very common in the Wellington Botanical Gardens on the white rata blossoms. MELANCHRA PROTEASTIS, Meyr. (_Mamestra vitiosa_, Meyr., Trans. N. Z. Inst. xix. 20 (nec Butl.). _Mamestra proteastis_, Meyr., Trans. N. Z. Inst. xx. 45.) (Plate IV., fig. 40 [M].) This insect is very common in the neighbourhood of Christchurch.