The larva is rather attenuated and black in colour; the dorsal line is narrow and bright yellow; the subdorsal is broader and white; and the lateral line is pale brown. The head, legs, prolegs, and under surface are pale brown, speckled with black; the spiracles are pink; a conspicuous white spot is situated above the spiracles. This caterpillar feeds on the Tauhinu (_Pomaderris ericifolia_) in December and January. It is very active in its habits, and immediately drops to the ground when disturbed. It is much infested by a dipterous parasite. The pupa state is spent in the earth and lasts about six weeks. The moth appears in February, March, and April. It is attracted by light, and in consequence often enters houses. {22}MELANCHRA OMICRON, n. sp. (Plate V., fig. 42.) This species was discovered at Wellington by Mr. A. Norris. The expansion of the wings is about 1½ inches. The fore-wings are pale olive-green, mottled and striped with dull grey; there is a double transverse line near the base, another at about one-fourth, and another at about one-half, passing between the orbicular and the reniform; beyond this there are two indistinct shaded lines, and a terminal series of black marks; _the orbicular is large, almost circular, and sharply outlined in black_; the claviform is small and indistinct, and the reniform ill-defined, obscurely outlined in black towards the base. The hind-wings are brownish-grey, darker towards the termen. The perfect insect appears in November. MELANCHRA COMPOSITA, Gn. (_Cloantha composita_, Gn., Noct. vi. 114. _Auchmis composita_, Walk., Noct. 616; Butl., Voy. Ereb., pl. ix. 12. _Mamestra maori_, Feld., Reis. Nov., pl. cix. 24. _Leucania dentigera_, Butl. _Mamestra composita_, Meyr., Trans. N. Z. Inst. xix. 22.) (Plate V., fig. 8 [M], 9 [F]; Plate III., fig. 7, larva.) One of the most abundant of our night-flying moths, occurring in great profusion throughout the country. The expansion of the wings is about 1½ inches. The fore-wings are pale reddish-brown, darker towards the middle. There are two elongate, pointed, white markings touching the termen below the middle, and a central white streak, interrupted in the middle, by a small semicircular white mark, which represents the lower portion of the reniform spot; the orbicular and claviform spots are obsolete. The hind-wings are dark grey. The head and thorax are reddish-brown, and the abdomen is dark grey. The antennæ are serrate in the male but simple in the female. In some specimens the white markings are more extensive than usual, but otherwise there are no important variations. The larva is bright reddish-brown; the dorsal stripe is broad and black; the subdorsal narrower, edged with white; the lateral lines are dull red, white, and black; the ventral surface, head, legs, and prolegs are greenish-grey with black markings; the spiracles are black.