"_Male._--16 mm. (about ¾ inch). Head, antennæ, thorax, and abdomen whitish-ochreous, brownish-tinged; abdominal crest black. Palpi dark fuscous. Legs dark fuscous, posterior pair whitish-ochreous. Fore-wings elongate, posteriorly gradually dilated, costa slightly arched, termen obliquely rounded; ochreous-brown, closely irrorated with rather dark fuscous; a black mark beneath costa at base; a cloudy blackish longitudinal mark in disc beyond middle; second line obscurely indicated, paler, anteriorly partly blackish-edged, from posterior extremity of discal mark to dorsum beyond middle; an oblique wedge-shaped white spot from apex, touching second line; a sub-terminal series of white dots; a terminal row of black dots; cilia fuscous, with a basal series of whitish-ochreous dots. Hind-wings pale whitish-grey; a grey transverse discal spot; a dark grey interrupted terminal line; cilia grey-whitish. "Taranaki, in March; one specimen. "In the British Museum is an unnamed specimen from China, which appears to be certainly the same species; it, therefore, probably ranges through many of the South Pacific islands. From its small size and inconspicuous appearance it is doubtless often overlooked."--(Meyrick.) Sub-family 2.--_PLUSIADES_. Vein 5 of hind-wings more or less approximated to 4. Genus 2.--PLUSIA, Ochs. "Head rough-scaled. Antennæ in [M] very shortly ciliated. Palpi rather long, curved, ascending, second joint rough-scaled, terminal moderately long or short, more or less rough-scaled in front, somewhat pointed. Thorax with large central or posterior crest. Abdomen with one or more crests. Tibiæ rough-scaled. Hind-wings with vein 5 more or less approximated to 4." (Plate II., figs. 14 and 15.) "A considerable genus, occurring throughout the world. Most of the imagos are handsome insects, often with metallic markings; some of them fly actively in bright sunshine. Larva usually without prolegs on segments 7 and 8, segment 12 more or less prominent above. Pupa in a rather open cocoon."--(Meyrick.) This genus is represented in New Zealand by a single and very widely distributed species. {35}PLUSIA CHALCITES, Esp. (_Plusia criosoma_, Dbld., Dieff. N. Z. 285; Butl., Voy. Ereb., pl. x. 1, 2. _P. argentifera_, Gn., Noct. vi. 352. _P. eriosoma_, Meyr., Trans. N. Z. Inst. xix. 36.) (Plate VI., fig. 3 [M].) This insect is probably generally distributed in the North Island, and in the northern portions of the South Island. It has occurred very commonly at Taranaki, Napier, and Nelson, but in Wellington it is rather a scarce species.