102 ON A CATERPILLAR INJURIOUS TO THE SUGAR-CANE. 



some ship, as is often the case with foreign productions which we 

 find cast up on our shores. 

 Polperro, 1856. 



Notice of the " Borer," a Caterpillar very injurious to the Sugar- 

 Cane. By J. O. Westwood, Esq., E.L.S. &c. 



[Read June 3rd, 1856.] 



[Abstract.] 



Mr. "Westwood gave an account of the natural history of the 

 " Borer," or caterpillar of a moth which is at the present time 

 doing immense damage to the sugar-canes in the island of Mau- 

 ritius. A committee had been formed in the island, composed of 

 the chief planters and scientific individuals, for the purpose of 

 investigating the subject, and from the able report which they had 

 drawn up, it appears that the insects were in all probability 

 imported with a cargo of new cane plants from the island of 

 Ceylon several years ago, and that since that time the damage has 

 been rapidly extending, and now threatens the entire destruction 

 of the plantations. The female insect deposits her eggs in the 

 axils of the young leaves, and the larvae as soon as hatched bore 

 into the stem, forming long galleries filled with the excrement of 

 the insect, and which have the effect of bringing the stem into 

 such a state of disease, that no crystallization will take place, and 

 the plant becomes quite useless even for making rum. The 

 entire transformations of the insect are effected in about six 

 weeks, so that there are at least six successive generations in the 

 course of a year. It appears that the chrysalis state is passed in 

 a slight cocoon spun amongst the dead leaves of the plant ; and 

 the committee, after reviewing various proposals suggested for the 

 destruction of the insect, had come to the conclusion that a well- 

 organized system of burning the infested canes, as well as all 

 loose rubbish and leaves in the plantation, was the only prac- 

 ticable means of getting rid of the enemy. Dr. Ulcoq, an ex- 

 tensive sugar-cane planter in the island, who was present at the 

 meeting, confirmed the details contained in the report, and begged 

 for any suggestions which could be offered by scientific men in 

 this country for the purpose of remedying the evil. He had 

 already been in communication with M. Gruerin-Meneville and 

 other naturalists in Paris. 



Several of the members present took part in the discussion 



