﻿26 
  PROCEEDINGS 
  OF 
  THE 
  FOURTn 
  ENTOMOLOGICAL 
  MEETING 
  

  

  From 
  the 
  train 
  I 
  saw 
  a 
  raiyat 
  in 
  Malabar 
  clearing 
  the 
  fields 
  with 
  a 
  

   hand 
  net 
  (bag) 
  which 
  seemed 
  to 
  be 
  made 
  on 
  our 
  model. 
  

  

  P. 
  262. 
  Dysdercus 
  cingulatus 
  appears 
  to 
  vary 
  very 
  much 
  in 
  its 
  

   occurrence. 
  I 
  think 
  it 
  worthy 
  of 
  more 
  extended 
  study. 
  On 
  the 
  Central 
  

   Farm 
  at 
  Coimbatore 
  I 
  should 
  not 
  call 
  it 
  a 
  pest. 
  It 
  is 
  almost 
  a 
  

   rarity. 
  

  

  P. 
  261. 
  Oxymrenus 
  Icetiis 
  is 
  an 
  insect 
  the 
  study 
  of 
  which 
  should 
  

   be 
  taken 
  up 
  in 
  the 
  near 
  future. 
  

  

  P. 
  265. 
  Helopeltis 
  antonii, 
  Sign. 
  I 
  am 
  certain 
  that 
  this 
  insect 
  is 
  

   the 
  cause 
  direct 
  or 
  indirect 
  of 
  the 
  withering 
  of 
  nwi 
  shoots 
  for 
  it 
  can 
  

   be 
  controlled 
  by 
  spraying 
  and 
  withering 
  prevented 
  or 
  arrested. 
  I 
  suspect 
  

   bacteria 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  real 
  cause 
  of 
  the 
  withering, 
  the 
  bacteria 
  being 
  injected 
  

   by 
  H. 
  antonii 
  while 
  feeding. 
  This 
  is 
  simply 
  a 
  theory 
  but 
  would 
  account 
  

   for 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  withered 
  shoots 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  so 
  much 
  

   out 
  of 
  proportion 
  to 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  insects 
  found. 
  This 
  insect 
  will 
  

   shortly 
  be 
  studied 
  in 
  collaboration 
  with 
  the 
  Government 
  Agricultural 
  

   Bacteriologist. 
  

  

  Platyedra 
  gossypiella, 
  Saunders. 
  A 
  good 
  deal 
  of 
  work 
  on 
  this 
  insect 
  

   is 
  being 
  done 
  at 
  Coimbatore 
  ; 
  in 
  fact, 
  I 
  am 
  making 
  every 
  effort 
  to 
  con- 
  

   centrate 
  on 
  it. 
  The 
  Pest 
  Act 
  reduced 
  the 
  attack 
  in 
  the 
  season 
  and 
  

   summer-pickings 
  considerably. 
  The 
  preliminary 
  results 
  of 
  our 
  investi- 
  

   gation 
  have 
  been 
  sent 
  for 
  publication. 
  One 
  interesting 
  fact 
  which 
  

   has 
  come 
  out 
  is 
  that 
  there 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  long 
  feeding 
  stage 
  in 
  the 
  

   season-picking, 
  that 
  is, 
  between 
  January 
  and 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  March. 
  After 
  

   that 
  time 
  generations 
  overlap 
  with 
  rapidity. 
  The 
  three 
  nearest 
  approa- 
  

   ches 
  to 
  a 
  long-cycle 
  larva 
  which 
  we 
  have 
  found 
  came 
  from 
  season-picking, 
  

   i.e., 
  during 
  the 
  hot 
  weather. 
  We 
  have 
  not 
  been 
  able 
  to 
  do 
  our 
  investi- 
  

   gations 
  on 
  as 
  large 
  a 
  scale 
  as 
  I 
  should 
  wish 
  owing 
  to 
  a 
  variety 
  of 
  reasons 
  

   which 
  need 
  not 
  be 
  discussed 
  here, 
  and 
  to 
  the 
  present 
  system 
  under 
  

   which 
  a 
  Provincial 
  Entomologist 
  has 
  to 
  work, 
  which, 
  as 
  every 
  one 
  knows, 
  

   makes 
  any 
  really 
  thorough 
  investigation 
  m 
  impossibility. 
  I 
  hope 
  that 
  

   at 
  the 
  next 
  Conference 
  I 
  shall 
  have 
  something 
  more 
  definite 
  to 
  say 
  

   on 
  the 
  subject. 
  I 
  have 
  not 
  found 
  Platyedra 
  breeding 
  in 
  Thespesia 
  

   as 
  it 
  is 
  supposed 
  to 
  do, 
  but 
  it 
  breeds 
  freely 
  in 
  Bhindi. 
  When 
  the 
  attack 
  

   is 
  severe, 
  as 
  in 
  1919, 
  country 
  cottons 
  suffer 
  but 
  so 
  far 
  appear 
  to 
  be 
  

   20 
  per 
  cent 
  less 
  attacked 
  than 
  Cambodia. 
  They 
  have 
  been 
  alleged 
  

   to 
  be 
  immune 
  but 
  I 
  have 
  so 
  far 
  not 
  found 
  this 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  case 
  nor 
  is 
  at 
  

   all 
  likely 
  to 
  be 
  true. 
  

  

  In 
  spite 
  of 
  the 
  excellent 
  work 
  done 
  in 
  Egypt 
  a 
  very 
  great 
  deal 
  more 
  

   is 
  required 
  in 
  India 
  on 
  this 
  pest 
  which 
  is 
  of 
  major 
  importance. 
  

  

  