The beetle eats a small hole through the lower epidermis of the 

 leaf, leaving the edges of the hole very rough. The egg is inserted 

 into this hole and cemented into place with a yellowish glutinous 

 secretion which turns dark brown upon hardening, and resembles 

 dried leaf tissue. The eggs are flat semielliptical brownish bodies, 

 shaped somewhat like a pumpkin seed. The period of incubation 

 of 286 eggs averaged IDS) days, of Avhich the maximum was 15 

 and the minimum 13. Upon hatching the larva eats its way 

 through the egg-wall and directly into the tissue of the leaf, where 

 it spends its entire larval and pupal stages. The larvae are fleshy 

 footless grubs and average about 1.2 mm. in length when newly 

 hatched. The head is the largest segment. The average length 

 of the full-grown larva is 9.51 mm., and the average width of the 

 head cast is 1.5^ mm. The average time required in the larval 

 stage is 32 days, twenty eight of these are spent in feeding, and 

 four days without feeding during which time the larva changes 

 into a pupa. During development, the larva feeds upon the paren- 

 chyma of the coconut leaf, and except when moulting it can be 

 found at the end of the chamber opposite the egg. The larva eats 

 in one direction only, leaving the old eggshell at the starting point. 

 When moulting and changing into a pupa it recedes to the centre 

 of its chamber. A characteristic habit of tlie larva is the deposi- 

 tion of its excrement in two rows one on each side of the excavated 

 chamber. The average time occupied in the pupal stage is 7.3 

 days of which the maximum was twelve and- the minimum five 

 days. The pupa is orange-chrome or burnt sienna. The beetles 

 vary from 7.5 to 10 mm. in length and are from l.G to 2 mm. in 

 width. The beetles are sluggish and do not fly readily upon l)eing 

 disturbed. They rest by clinging slightly to the under side of the 

 leaf, antennae extended forward, flat against the leaf. They crawl 

 about promiscuously on the leaves of young coconuts and feed 

 extensively upon the tissues between the veins of the leaflets. The 

 injury has the appearance of a slight cut, but does not entirely 

 penetrate the leaf. The injury done by the larva is greater than 

 that of the adult, as a single larva will excavate a place in the 

 leaf from 12 to 16 cm.* long and 1.5 to 3 cm.* wide. The tissue 

 affected -soon dies and becomes brown." 



Jones, lastly writing of repressive measures suggests hand- 

 picking by children ; Init so high are most of the attacked trees in 

 Malacca that this is not to be thought of. The same difficulty 

 attends the use of liydrocyanic gas. And indeed the only remedy 

 seems to be promised by protecting or increasing the insect's natural 

 enemies, for which purpose it would ]iossibly 1)e necessary to collect 

 a supply in the riiilijipine islands. 



By Professor C. P. Baker's kind offices, Dr. Gestro lias seen 

 specimens and confirms the determination. 



I. H. BUKKILL. 



* There is a mistake on p. 130 of the Philippine Journal of Seinco D. viii. 

 in regard to the length of these tunnel=, millimetres standing twice for centi- 

 metres. A reference to the plate there referred to proves it. Tunnels in Malacca 

 are usually about 10 cm. long and 1 cm. wide ; 3 cm. wide is excessive. 



