80 LIFE-HISTORIES OF GELECHIADA 
most liable to attack. The larva bores into the bolls, feeding on the seeds and 
spoiling the lint, and also does some damage to buds and flowers when bolls 
are not available, but when bolls are formed these are much preferred. Many 
of the attacked bolls drop off and there may be considerable loss of crop from 
this, or the bolls open prematurely and the fibre is short, dirty and 
comparatively useless. The oil content of the attacked seed is seriously 
lessened also, and the germination is affected if the seeds are used for sowing. 
The loss due to this insect in India alone runs to many millions of Rupees 
annually. 
As noted above, the larva is a serious pest of cotton, but has also been 
found in India breeding on Hibiscus abelmoschus, Abutilon indicum and doubt- 
fully on hollyhock. In Egypt and Hawaii it has been bred from Thespesia 
populnea and in Hawaii also from fruits of Hibiscadelphus hualalaiensis. In 
Egypt it has been reared from hollyhock, Hibiscus esculentus and H. cannabinus 
and it will probably be found to breed in these foodplants in India also. 
Very detailed accounts of the life-history have been given by Willcocks(®) 
and Busck(!) and reference should be made to their publications for full 
details. Briefly, the life-history is as follows :—The egg is usually laid ona 
cotton-boll but may be deposited on a flower or leaf. It hatches in about 
six days (more or less according to season), and the small yellowish larva, 
which is very active, either bores into a boll at once, or bores into a flower or 
nibbles the leaves for a short time before entering a boll. Entered into a boll 
(or seed-pod, in the case of foodplants other than cotton) it feeds on the seeds, 
either completely eating out a single seed or nibbling several. It is full-fed 
after two or three weeks, by which time it is salmon pink and about 12 mm. 
long, and then emerges from the boll through a circular hole and pupates in a 
flimsy cocoon usually formed under some shelter on the ground (e. g., under 
a fallen leaf, flower, clod, etc.). If the lint is picked whilst the larva is still 
feeding, it emerges when full-fed and may pupate in the lint or in any conve- 
nient shelter in the store-room. Rarely pupation takes place inside the boll. 
In some cases, however, usually towards the end of the season, the larva does 
not pupate at once, but goes into a resting condition which may last for many 
months. Im the case of larve feeding in stored cotton-seed, the larva usually 
attaches a second seed to the seed in which it is feeding and the presence of 
these double seeds is a sure sign of infection by this insect. After a variable, 
but often considerable, interval of time these resting larvee pupate and emerge 
as moths. Thus, from larve collected at Pusa on 10th November 1907, one 
larva pupated on 12th March, and emerged on 28th March 1908, whilst another 
larva of this lob pupated on 4th June and emerged on 13th June 1908. The 
