October, '17] DUNN: COCOANUT-TREE CATERPILLAR 477 



pillars it requires several years for a tree to recover, if it recovers at all. 



In many instances solitary high trees seem to be the most heavily 

 infested, but this may be due to the fact that as the trees are standing 

 alone, some of the females of the previous broods that have lived in 

 the trees deposit their eggs in the same trees without seeking further 

 for a suitable place, and the young caterpillars emerging from the eggs 

 of several females are found to live in one tree in greater numbers than 

 if they were in a thick grove and were able to spread to other trees. 



The caterpillars show a decided preference for cocoanut trees and 

 the injury is nearly always confined to the cocoanut palms, but at 

 times they will also attack other trees of like nature. They have been 

 noticed feeding on the Royal palms, but so far no nests have been 

 found in any of these palms that were low enough to examine closely, 

 although in several trees the caterpillars were quite numerous and 

 were generally found during the daytime on the under side of the 

 leaves, or in the pocket at the base of the leaf stalk. From this it 

 would appear that the caterpillars leave the cocoanut trees to seek a 

 suitable place to pupate, and when the palms are selected feed upon 

 the leaves for a few days before pupating. 



If one had an opportunity to closely examine the grown Royal 

 palms an occasional nest might be discovered, although there are not 

 likely to be many as no appreciable damage caused by these cater- 

 pillars has yet been noted in the Royal palms, at least in this locality. 



Life-History and Habits 



There are two broods a year of these pests. In the spring the adult 

 females deposit their eggs during May and June, and in the fall during 

 the latter part of October, the whole of November, and the early part 

 of December. It is very evident that the different stages greatly 

 overlap each other, as eggs, grown caterpillars, and adult females 

 ready to oviposit, may often be found during the same day. 



In many instances the eggs are deposited on the lower side of the 

 leaves, or on the trunk of the cocoanut trees, but numbers are also 

 found on buildings, or other sheltered places, from which it would 

 appear that the female was more concerned in seeking protection for 

 the eggs from the weather and parasitic enemies, than for a place suit- 

 able for the young caterpillars to obtain food upon their emergence. 



The eggs are laid in masses, made up of both regular and irregular 

 rows of the eggs. The eggs in one mass may be all in regular rows, 

 and in a second one may be all in irregular rows, while a third mass 

 may be one part regular and the other part irregular rows. Appar- 

 ently there is not much uniformity in the arrangement of the egg 

 masses. They are laid in very close order and are cemented to each 



