FAMILY BOSTRYCHIDAE 143 



The above summarizes the experiments as far as they appear to have i^een carried in 

 Madras. They support and confirm observations of my own on two points : — 



(a) That the cold-weather months are the Ijest ones in which to fell, although felling 

 at this season does not guarantee immunity to the bamboos from the attacks of the borers. 



{/A That bamboos stacked in the shade or covered up in such a manner as still to allow 

 of the beetles getting at them will be more severely attacked than those stacked in the 

 open. 



The question as to the I)est time in the month to fell requires a more detailed series of 

 experiments to be carried out before we can finally say that the belief so commonly held in 

 India is a mere superstition. It will be noted that in the Madras experiments the bamboos 

 kept under observation were either stacked together or the bundles svere placed in rows 

 adjacent to one a>wther. Now this procedure greatly detracted from the value of the experi- 

 ments carried out, since it is possible, if not probable, that the bamboos cut at a certain period 

 of the moon's phases first attracted the beetles which, appearing in numbers too great to find 

 accommodation in the bamboos in the condition they preferred, overflowed on to and attacked 

 neighbouring bundles which otherwise might have escaped. If the experiments are to be 

 reliable, it is necessary to cut bamboos at different periods in the month from the same clump 

 or forest and to stack the lots cut on different dates at considerable distances apart, so that 

 the danger of the lot in the condition preferred by the beetles attracting the insects to the 

 others will cease to exist. 



A study of the life-history of these insects will show that the beetles do not appear on 

 the wing in December and January at least, in the more southern portion of the Continent, 

 and for an e\'en longer interval in the northern portions. This therefore accounts to some 

 extent for the immunity of bamboos from attack at this period. 



Mr. A. M. Smith, of the Peradeniya Botanical Gardens, Ceylon, in discussing the above 

 paper, appears to hold the theory that the amount of moisture present in the atmosphere 

 at the period of felling may be intimately connected with the question. He thinks that 

 it is possible that the atmosphere may contain more moisture in it on dark nights than on 

 moonlight ones. In fact, that the moon may have something to do with the matter, since 

 bamboos contain a far greater amount of moisture on dark moist nights than on drier ones 

 when more of it is transpired from the leaves. 



In order to settle the question of the effect of the phases of the moon on the period of 

 felling, series of experiments are required on the following lines : — 



{a) Bundles of bamboos to be cut weekly, each week's felling to be numbered and stacked 

 separately as far apart as possible (at least a mile). 



{b) The phase of the moon at the period of felling to be accurately noted. 



{c) Particulars as to locality, elevation, etc., to be noted for each bundle cut. 



id) The bundles to be inspected zveekly and rough notes as to the percentage of each 

 bamboo attacked to be noted down for each week. 



{e) The species of bamboo experimented with to be accurately noted. 



(/) My own theory at present is that bamboos felled during November and the first half 

 of December and immediately piled ox stacked in the open will not be attacked by the borers. 

 Experiments carried out in different parts of the country are necessary to prove this. 



Dinoderus brevis, Horn. 



Reference. — Horn, Proc. Ann. Phil. Soc. xvii, 550 (1878). 



Habitat.— Dehra Dun, North India; Calcutta. Also reported from 

 Teinzo and Rans^oon, Burma, Indo-China, Philippines. 



Trees Attacked. — Bamboo (Dendrocalajiius strictus) : Dehra Dun and Cal- 

 cutta; ? Sal {Shorea robusta) : Dehra Dun. 



