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unlike most other forests, having been originahy free from the 

 effect produced directly or indirectly by the larger animals. Owing 

 to the work originated for scientific purposes by a committee of 

 English societies, aided by the trustees of the Bishop Museum, 

 it is probable that the habits of the forest insects of these islands 

 are better known, and have been more studied, than those of any 

 other tropical country. In the following account not only ac- 

 tually injurious insects will be referred to, but also others which 

 are frequently, but erroneously, supposed to be injuring the na- 

 tive forests. 



The insects, to which damage i^ attributed most commonly in 

 the case of the island forests, are generally spoken of as "borers"' 

 by those interested. In most cases the "borers" referred to are 

 the larvae of large or moderately large beetles. There are, how- 

 ever, many small kinds of borer-beetles ; in fact, these are far 

 more numerous than the larger ones, though they escape observa- 

 tion from their diminutive size. Besides the beetle-borers, there 

 are also a large number of other borers, especially the larvae or 

 caterpillars of small moths. These are usually found in or be- 

 neath the bark of trees which have advanced to a further stage 

 of decay than is attractive to most of the large beetle-borers, 

 while quite decayed wood is often perforated through and through 

 by various species of myriapods. creatures somewhat resembling 

 small centipedes, but with the legs much more numerous. 



Of the large beetle-borers three types are most conspicuous. 

 All the larvae are white or vellowish grubs, most of them with- 



FiG. 1 



