519 



Ballard (E.). A Note on Heliothis (Chloridea) obsoleta, Fb., as a 

 Pest of Cotton. — Agric. Jl. India, Calcutta, xv, no. 4, July 1920, 

 pp. 462^64. 



Attention is dra^Mi to the infestation of cotton in India by Heliothis 

 obsoleta, F. Apparently Cambodia cotton sufiers more than the 

 Uppam or Kurangunni varieties, although the latter were gro\sTi next 

 to a field of gram. Tobacco plants in an adjoining field were 

 untouched. 



The attack was first noticed in January, and by February all the cater- 

 pillars had disappeared. ' They feed externally on young green bolls, but 

 occasionally enter the boll and destroy the entire contents. The usual 

 food-plants in India are red gram {Cajanus indicus), Bengal gram {Cicer 

 arietinum), ground nut {Arachis hypogaea), tomato, maize, cholam 

 {Andropogon sorf/Jnitn). tobacco, hemp {Cannabis satira), linseed, 

 safflower and Dolichos lablab. Should the present change of habit 

 persist in India, this moth would become more dangerous than Earias 

 or Platyedra {Pectinophora) gossypiella . 



HuTSON (J. C). The Fluted Scale and the Vedalia Beetle.— Trop. 

 Agric, Peradeniya, Iv, no. 2, August 1920, pp. 95-97, 1 fig. 

 [Received 4th October 1920.] 



The spread of Icerya purchasi (fluted scale), which first came into 

 prominence in Ceylon in December 1915 on Acacia, caused considerable 

 apprehension in 1916 and 1917, as it was feared that it might attack tea 

 and other crops of economic importance. Investigations led to the 

 discovery that a fungus periodically controls the scale in most districts 

 during the wet weather. No trace of the CoccineUid beetle, Novius 

 cardirialis, was found, but a related species, N. roseipennis, was fairly 

 numerous in some localities. This species has, however, nothing like 

 the voracious appetite and powers of reproduction possessed by 

 N. cardinalis, and consequently arrangements were made for consign- 

 ments of the latter to be sent periodically from South Africa. A 

 number of difficulties were encountered. All the beetles in four 

 consignments in 1919 died, probably owing to the length of the journey. 

 Some living beetles were received in January 1920, and after food had 

 been obtained they bred rapidly, and colonies were sent out to various 

 localities. When these places were inspected recently very little scale 

 was found, and that little was being rapidly devoured by the CoccineUid 

 larvae. 



The larvae of N. cardinalis that were kept for breeding suffered 

 severely from disease, due probably to overcrowding, but in the event 

 of any abnormal local increase of I. furcliasi in the future, it will be 

 comparatively easy to obtain further consignments of N. cardinalis 

 from South Africa, since better facilities for shipping the beetles will then 

 be available. 



HuTSON (J. C). Report of the Entomologist. — Ceylon Dept. Agric. 

 Administr. Repts. for 1919, Peradeniya, 1920. pp. C8-C10. 

 [Received 7th October 1920.] 



The chief pests recorded include: — Xyleboru s fornicatus, Eich., which 

 is distributed throughout the greater portion of the area under tea ; 

 Honiona cojfearia (tea tortrix), a fresh outbreak of which occurred 



