The young larva is orange-brown, becoming greenish-brown soon after emergence. The full-grown larva is dark brown above and pale brown beneath, the two colours being sharply separated on the sides by a broken white line. A series of V-shaped markings is situated on the back, each mark enclosing a paler area. Several fine black wavy lines traverse the darker portions of the larva, and a dark mark, edged with black beneath, is situated on each segment just above the ventral surface. The food-plant is watercress. The pupa is enclosed in a frail cocoon on the surface of the ground. The perfect insect appears from October till March, and frequents forest. It is often dislodged from dense undergrowth during the daytime, and may be found in the evening on the blossoms of the white rata. It is very much commoner in some years than in others; but occasionally several seasons will pass without our noticing a single specimen of this attractive insect. The colouring is extremely protective when the moth is resting on moss-covered tree trunks. XANTHORHOE ADONIS, n. sp. (Plate VII., fig. 49 [M].) This extremely beautiful insect has occurred in the South Island at Castle Hill, and at Lake Wakatipu. The expansion of the wings is 1 inch. _The fore-wings are vivid green_; there is a broad, wavy, black transverse line near the base; a somewhat broken line at about one-third, much broader on the costa and edged with white towards the base; _a very conspicuous broad black line at two-thirds, shaded towards the base, and sharply edged with white towards the termen_; between this line and the termen there are several black marks, forming another extremely broken transverse line. _The hind-wings are pale orange-brown, with a faint grey central band_. The perfect insect appears in January. It frequents forests at elevations of from 1,000 to 2,000 feet above the sea-level, but it is not common. Mr. Meyrick regards this insect as identical with _Xanthorhoe beata_. XANTHORHOE CHLORIAS, Meyr. (_Larentia chlorias_, Meyr., Trans. N. Z. Inst. xvi. 80.) This species was discovered in the South Island at Castle Hill, by Mr. Meyrick. "The expansion of the wings of the male is 30 mm. (about 1¼ inches). Fore-wings moderate, termen hardly rounded; bright yellow; base of costa dark fuscous-purple; a curved row of three very small dark purple-fuscous spots about one-fourth, and another of four spots before middle, costal spots larger; a {64}triangular purple blotch on costa before apex, reaching half across wing, anteriorly margined by a strongly sinuate bluish-black streak; a row of three dark purple-fuscous dots from apex of this to dorsum, and a subterminal row of six similar dots; cilia yellow. Hind-wings moderate, termen rounded; rather paler than fore-wings, with two curved posterior rows of cloudy purple-fuscous dots. "A very beautiful and conspicuous species.