76 SCIENTIFIC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH 



rupees, it will probably be conceded that there is ample 

 justification for an increase of star! to take up this work. 



In the course of the last four years during which 

 especial attention has been paid to the insect pests of 

 sugarcane, the Scolytid borer, Xyleborus perforans, Woll 

 (Plate IV), has only been observed once, in December 1919, 

 in a variety of cane called B. 147, which was growing on 

 the Chinsurah Farm. This beetle came into prominence 

 over thirty years ago in connection with the destruction of 

 beer-casks shipped to India and was investigated by 

 W. F. H. Blandford, who considered X. affi.nis, attacking 

 sugarcane in the West Indies, as a variety of X. perforans. 

 In 1900 a Xyleborus was reported as boring sugarcane in 

 Bengal and was considered to be either identical with, or 

 closely allied to, X. perforans. In 1892 this beetle formed 

 the subject-matter of a warning letter issued by the Revenue 

 and Agriculture Department of the Government of India, 

 which stated that this pest, notorious in the West Indies 

 as a pest of sugarcane, had already been introduced into 

 India and therefore advised the adoption of measures 

 against its spread. Its occurrence on the Chinsurah Farm, 

 where it was found breeding in three fully-grown canes 

 growing in a clump, the canes being practically dry and 

 showing characteristic holes emitting dust in their basal 

 joints, indicates that this shot-hole borer may perhaps 

 prove to be an occasional pest of cane, possibly more fre- 

 quently than has been noted by us. In Indian Museum 

 Notes, Vol. V, p. 74, it is recorded as having been found in 

 cane in numerous districts in Bihar and Bengal. 

 X. perforans is widely distributed in India and Burma and 

 has been recorded as boring in sal (Shorea robusta), Ano- 

 geissus latifolia and Areca catechu. 



Mention was made in last year's Report of three species 

 of Dynastine beetles which occurred on the Kamrup Sugar- 

 cane Farm in April-May 1919, viz., Alissonotum impressi- 

 colle (Plates V and VI), A . piceum, and Heteronychus 

 sublcevis. Attempts were made during the year to work 

 out their full life-histories in the Pusa Insectary with 



