Mr. M. M. Lal. 
Mr. Shroff. 
Mr. Jhaveri. 
Mr. Fletcher. 
Mr. Jhaveri. 
Mr. M. M. Lal. 
Mr, Ratiram. 
100 PROCEEDINGS OF YHE SECOND ENTOMOLOGICAL MEETING 
“ 
Solenopsis geminata [“ South Indian Insects,” pp. 274-275, fig. 112} 
is an ant which perhaps we might have taken under “ seedlings.’ It 
nibbles young leaves and buds and may do damage even to killing back 
young plants. It has also been noted to damage leaves and seedlings: 
of brinjal, Cajanus indicus and Ailanthus, but does not seem to have 
been noticed on cotton outside of Madras. 
Sylepta derogata [“ South Indian Insects,” pp. 434-435, tab. 357 
occurs throughout India, Burma and Ceylon and is probably the most 
destructive pest of cotton as regards the leaves of the plant. On native 
cottons it is a minor pest, but exotic cottons are especially liable to attack 
and considerable damage may be done, especially in the case of experi- 
mental plots of new varieties. In such cases it can be dealt with by 
spraying with a stomach-poison but in the case of field-crops control 
is most efficiently done by removal of the rolled leaves or simply by 
squashing caterpillars in the rolled-up leaves on the bushes. 
In the Punjab Sylepta is bad on the exotic varieties of cotton. 
In Burma I have noticed the same thing. 
In Bombay also it attacks the exotic varieties. The cultivators do 
nothing to check the pest. ; 
Phycita infusella [“ South Indian Insects,” pp. 428-429, tab. 31] 
attacks the topshoots which wither and droop. It is a minor pest as a 
tule, occurring as a rule only on young plants, the insect disappearing 
when the flowers appear. The affected topshoots may be hand-picked.. 
Cosmophila erosa [“‘ South Indian Insects,” p. 391, fig. 257] occurs 
throughout India as a sporadic pest of cotton. As a pest it seems to: 
occur chiefly in Western India, but we have records of this species on 
cotton from throughout Southern India, Dharwar, Poona, Jalgaon 
(Khandesh), Bassein Fort (Bombay), Surat, Ajmer, Narshingpur, Cawn- 
pur and Pusa. It is not attached solely to cotton but has been reared. 
from bhindi at Lyallpur, Pusa and Surat, and at Pusa from Hibiscus 
cannabinus, Sida cordifolia, hollyhock and urid. Like Sylepta, it seems: 
to exhibit a marked preference for exotic cottons. The larve are best 
controlled by hand-picking. 
Cosmophila is bad sporadically in Bombay. Cotton was very 
seriously attacked once in Khandesh and it was observed that the lower 
leaves suffered more than the upper ones. The caterpi lars were para-- 
sitized by a Tachinid fly. 
In the Punjab Cosmophila erosa is very common but it has never 
given us any trouble. 
In Berar it was very serious in 1907. Hand-picking was done for 
four or five days, and Tachinid flies checked the pest afterwards. 
