686 JOURNAL, BOMB A 7 NA TUBA L HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. XV. 



completely defoliate trees, so dissimilar as are teak and Albizzia lebbeke, 

 which was the case in Jubbulpore in July 1900. 



II. Habits of the Larva. 



A. P. machoeralis — 



22. The larvae, if disturbed or alarmed, at once let themselves down 

 by threads from the leaves in which they are feeding, and thus either 

 reach the ground, or, after hanging suspended in the air for some tune, 

 climb back again on to the leaves. 



23. The method of feeding is very characteristic. Only the soft 

 green parenchyma of the leaves is destroyed, and the veins and vascular 

 tissue are left untouched. The leaves are thus skeletonised, and fine 

 specimens of such leaves may be obtained when larval attacks are severe, 

 which are sometimes used for ornamental purposes. The young larvae 

 at first only destroy the epidermis of the leaf, their mandibles not being 

 fully developed, and the leaf tissue is thus at first not pierced. The 

 attacked leaves become brown in colour, and before they fall give the 

 forests a most remarkable appearance, which is very striking during the 

 monsoon, when the rest of the country side is green. From a distance 

 such forests look as if they had been damaged by frost or scorched by 

 fire. Fig. XVIII shows a photograph of a piece of teak leaf attacked 

 by this insect. Here and there, it will be noticed, are a few small holes 

 where the veins of the leaf have been destroyed. These are caused by 

 the habit which this larva has of gnawing small boltholes in the leaf- 

 tissue, near which it lies when feeding and by means of which the larva 

 can at any time gain ready access to the front or back of the leaf at need. 



24. When the larvae are feeding on the leaves, they usually con- 

 struct a thin weft of silk threads which is attached to the surface of the 

 leaf and under shelter of which the larv?e lie. This web does not 

 conceal the larvae from view. 



B. //. piiera — 



25. The larvae, when disturbed, let themselves down by threads 

 from the leaves on which they are feeding, just as is the case with the 

 preceding species. The larvae acquire this power almost immediately 

 after emergence from the egg. 



26. When irritated the larva emits a dark-green fluid which it 

 ejects from its mouth to a considerable distance. 



27. As already noticed above, the larva is shy and seldom exposes 

 its whole body to view, always constructing hiding places for itself on 



