﻿. 
  PROCEEDINGS 
  OF 
  THE 
  FOURTH 
  ENTOMOLOGICAL 
  MEETING 
  51 
  

  

  pests 
  ; 
  these 
  appear 
  on 
  a 
  variety 
  of 
  cultivated 
  crops. 
  As 
  examples 
  of 
  

   these 
  we 
  have 
  in 
  Madras 
  blister 
  beetles 
  of 
  sorts, 
  surface 
  grasshoppers 
  and 
  

   locusts, 
  surface 
  weevils, 
  climbing 
  cutworms, 
  tussock 
  moths, 
  slug 
  cater- 
  

   pillars, 
  etc. 
  

  

  The 
  third 
  group 
  comprises 
  those 
  insects 
  found 
  all 
  the 
  year 
  round 
  

   without 
  any 
  marked 
  seasonal 
  variations 
  in 
  their 
  appearance. 
  These 
  

   are 
  generally 
  found 
  on 
  perennial 
  crops 
  like 
  palms, 
  fruit 
  trees, 
  vegetables 
  

   and 
  garden 
  shrubs 
  ; 
  some 
  of 
  them 
  also 
  infest 
  stored 
  products 
  and 
  house- 
  

   hold 
  materials. 
  Familiar 
  examples 
  of 
  this 
  group 
  are 
  the 
  palm 
  beetles 
  

   white 
  ants, 
  rice 
  weevil, 
  meal 
  worm 
  moths, 
  silver 
  fish, 
  etc. 
  

  

  Of 
  these 
  three 
  groups 
  we 
  may 
  leave 
  out 
  of 
  consideration 
  in 
  this 
  

   paper 
  the 
  third 
  group, 
  as 
  the 
  insects 
  under 
  it 
  do 
  not 
  exhibit 
  any 
  striking 
  

   periodical 
  or 
  seasonal 
  variations 
  and 
  as 
  such 
  are 
  outside 
  the 
  pale 
  of 
  a 
  

   regular 
  calendar. 
  Taking 
  the 
  first 
  two 
  groups 
  we 
  may 
  consider 
  the 
  

   periodical 
  activities 
  of 
  the 
  important 
  insects 
  under 
  each 
  heading 
  and 
  

   see 
  what 
  place 
  they 
  occupy 
  in 
  the 
  insect 
  calendar. 
  

  

  In 
  considering 
  the 
  periodicity 
  of 
  crop 
  pests 
  in 
  any 
  tract 
  one 
  has 
  always 
  

   -to 
  remember 
  that 
  the 
  climatic 
  and 
  agricultural 
  conditions 
  of 
  a 
  particular 
  

   area 
  have 
  a 
  great 
  deal 
  to 
  do 
  with 
  the 
  appearance 
  or 
  absence 
  of 
  any 
  pests. 
  

   Unlike 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  other 
  provinces 
  of 
  India 
  we 
  in 
  the 
  South 
  (see 
  map) 
  

   have 
  several 
  distinct 
  agricultural 
  tracts 
  each 
  possessing 
  distinct 
  climatic 
  

   and 
  agricultural 
  practices 
  of 
  its 
  own 
  ; 
  and 
  naturally 
  the 
  crop 
  seasons 
  

   vary 
  a 
  good 
  deal 
  in 
  the 
  different 
  tracts, 
  the 
  same 
  crop 
  having 
  its 
  own 
  

   appropriate 
  time 
  in 
  the 
  year 
  in 
  the 
  different 
  regions. 
  We 
  have 
  the 
  

   West 
  Coast 
  area 
  with 
  its 
  unfailing 
  heavy 
  rains 
  (over 
  100 
  inches) 
  chiefly 
  

   during 
  the 
  South-west 
  monsoon 
  season 
  from 
  June 
  to 
  September 
  ; 
  there 
  

   are 
  the 
  Northern 
  Circars 
  including 
  the 
  big 
  deltas 
  which 
  are 
  irrigated 
  by 
  

   the 
  rivers 
  Grodavari 
  and 
  Kistna 
  ; 
  next 
  the 
  Carnatic 
  Districts 
  along 
  the 
  

   Coromandel 
  Coast 
  which 
  get 
  the 
  greater 
  part 
  of 
  their 
  rainfall 
  during 
  the 
  

   North-east 
  monsoon 
  season 
  from 
  October 
  to 
  January. 
  Further 
  down, 
  

   we 
  have 
  the 
  four 
  southern 
  districts 
  of 
  Tanjore, 
  Madura, 
  Ramnad 
  and 
  

   Tinnevelly 
  with 
  an 
  average 
  rainfall 
  of 
  not 
  more 
  than 
  33 
  inches 
  for 
  the 
  

   tract, 
  and 
  which 
  mostly 
  depend 
  on 
  irrigation 
  facilities 
  for 
  their 
  important 
  

   crops 
  ; 
  and 
  then 
  we 
  have 
  the 
  Deccan 
  and 
  southern 
  tablelands 
  with 
  a 
  

   scanty 
  and 
  capricious 
  rainfall. 
  This 
  being 
  the 
  case 
  one 
  and 
  the 
  same 
  

   insect 
  affecting 
  a 
  particular 
  crop 
  appears 
  in 
  the 
  different 
  areas 
  in 
  differ- 
  

   ent 
  seasons. 
  Keeping 
  the 
  above 
  facts 
  in 
  view 
  I 
  have 
  designed 
  two 
  or 
  

   three 
  diagrams 
  wherein 
  I 
  have 
  tried 
  to 
  show 
  at 
  a 
  glance 
  the 
  periodical 
  

   appearance 
  of 
  the 
  important 
  insect 
  pests 
  during 
  any 
  normal 
  

   year. 
  

  

  To 
  explain 
  the 
  seasonal 
  distribution 
  of 
  the 
  insects 
  of 
  the 
  first 
  group 
  I 
  

   have 
  prepared 
  two 
  diagrams, 
  a 
  circular 
  and 
  tabular 
  one. 
  The 
  former 
  

  

  