28 Annals Entomological Society of America [Vol. IX, 



the provinces into which the country is divided being under 

 provincial departments such as Madras, Bombay, Central 

 Province, Bengal, etc. The Imperial Department of Agricul- 

 ture conducts investigations and advises and directs the work 

 of the provincial departments. The latter largely carry into 

 effect the recommendations of the Imperial experts as they do 

 not all employ experts of their own, although a number of them 

 now have native or European entomologists attached to their 

 agricultural staffs. 



The headquarters of the Imperial Entomologist are at the 

 Imperial Research Laboratories at Pusa. Mr. T. Bainbrigge 

 Fletcher is Imperial Entomologist and Mr. T. M. Howlett has 

 charge of the work in medical and veterinary entomology. In 

 addition to English assistants there is an excellent native staff. 

 The scope of the work includes the investigation of the life 

 histories and bionomics of insect pests and the most practicable 

 methods of control under local conditions and experimental 

 work with insecticides. 



An important section of the entomological work has reference 

 to useful or productive insects particularly sericulture and the 

 production of lac. These constitute important industries in 

 certain sections of India. For example, about three million 

 pounds worth of lac is produced annually and whereas at 

 present it is mainly a forest product, collected wild in the 

 jungles, the entomologists have shown how it can be produced 

 more cheaply by proper cultivation on trees growing on pastures 

 and waste lands in agricultural tracts. Prof. Lefroy's work on 

 Eri silk, produced by Attacus ricini of Assam, furnished a 

 means whereby a new silk industry might be built up in certain 

 localities in India. 



Among the more important pests the following may be 

 mentioned : 



In certain regions swarms of hairy caterpillars, the larvae 

 of Arctiid moths, appear regularly after the first rain and cause 

 great loss in grass lands, etc. It has been found that these 

 insects can be largely controlled by capturing the adult moths 

 in bait traps of the Andres-Maire pattern. In one region 

 in Bengal about 10,000 acres of Tal land was destroyed 

 annually for fifteen years by caterpillars of A gratis ypsilon. 

 It was found that hand picking of the larvae and capture of the 



