﻿PROCEEDINGS 
  OF 
  THE 
  FOITRTH 
  ENTOMOLOGICAL 
  MEETING 
  61 
  

  

  the 
  body 
  of 
  the 
  female 
  moth. 
  The 
  full-grown 
  caterpillar 
  is 
  35-40 
  mm. 
  

   long, 
  cylindrical, 
  paler 
  or 
  darker 
  green 
  above, 
  greenish 
  yellow 
  beneath, 
  

   with 
  a 
  reddish 
  stripe 
  along 
  the 
  sides 
  at 
  the 
  junction 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  lines 
  ; 
  

   along 
  the 
  side 
  there 
  is 
  sometimes 
  a 
  broad 
  pale 
  stripe 
  edged 
  above 
  by 
  

   black 
  lunules 
  on 
  each 
  segment 
  ; 
  when 
  touched 
  the 
  caterpillar 
  curls 
  up 
  

   until 
  the 
  head 
  and 
  tail 
  are 
  nearly 
  touching 
  in 
  a 
  characteristic 
  manner. 
  

  

  " 
  When 
  full 
  fed 
  it 
  pupates 
  in 
  the 
  soil, 
  turning 
  into 
  a 
  brownish 
  pupa, 
  

   from 
  which 
  the 
  moth 
  emerges 
  in 
  ten 
  days."* 
  

  

  The 
  larva 
  is 
  essentially 
  a 
  night 
  feeder, 
  but 
  in 
  districts 
  which 
  are 
  per- 
  

   manently 
  under 
  water 
  it 
  feeds 
  by 
  day, 
  or 
  remains 
  clinging 
  to 
  the 
  blades 
  

   of 
  the 
  paddy 
  ; 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  in 
  such 
  situations 
  that 
  its 
  control 
  is 
  most 
  easily 
  

   effected. 
  

  

  The 
  appearance 
  of 
  an 
  attacked 
  paddy 
  plot 
  is 
  very 
  characteristic 
  and 
  

   gives 
  the 
  impression 
  of 
  having 
  been 
  grazed 
  by 
  cattle 
  ; 
  in 
  fact, 
  the 
  writer 
  

   has 
  more 
  than 
  once 
  gone 
  to 
  a 
  seed 
  bed 
  to 
  look 
  for 
  Spodopiera 
  in 
  tracts 
  

   where 
  it 
  was 
  in 
  pest 
  conditions 
  only 
  to 
  find 
  that 
  stray 
  cattle 
  were 
  

   responsible 
  for 
  the 
  seedlings 
  in 
  that 
  particular 
  plot 
  being 
  eaten 
  down, 
  

   although 
  at 
  a 
  short 
  distance 
  a 
  Spodoptera- 
  a,tta,cked 
  plot 
  bore 
  the 
  same 
  

   aspect. 
  

  

  So 
  far 
  as 
  our 
  experience 
  in 
  Malabar 
  goes, 
  it 
  would 
  seem 
  that 
  in 
  that 
  

   district 
  there 
  is 
  only 
  one 
  generation 
  in 
  the 
  year, 
  although 
  it 
  is 
  possible 
  

   that 
  in 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  places, 
  and 
  then 
  only 
  exceptionally, 
  a 
  few 
  moths 
  

   may 
  come 
  out 
  a 
  month 
  earlier 
  than 
  is 
  usual. 
  

  

  The 
  first 
  and 
  only 
  emergence 
  appears 
  to 
  take 
  place 
  in 
  Mayf 
  and 
  it 
  

   is 
  this 
  generation 
  which 
  is 
  the 
  pest 
  generation. 
  It 
  was 
  believed 
  that 
  

   there 
  was 
  a 
  preliminary 
  small 
  emergence 
  in 
  March 
  or 
  April, 
  but 
  all 
  

   searches 
  for 
  moths 
  or 
  caterpillars 
  were 
  fruitless 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  very 
  doubtful 
  

   whether 
  any 
  generation 
  precedes 
  the 
  one 
  in 
  May. 
  Except 
  in 
  a 
  very 
  few 
  

   places 
  there 
  would 
  be 
  no 
  food 
  for 
  the 
  larvae 
  before 
  this 
  time 
  as 
  the 
  whole 
  

   country 
  is 
  dried 
  up. 
  By 
  the 
  beginning 
  of 
  May 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  paddy 
  has 
  

   been 
  sown. 
  In 
  Malabar 
  this 
  paddy 
  starts 
  as 
  a 
  dry 
  crop 
  and 
  the 
  raiyat 
  

   is 
  dependent 
  on 
  the 
  South-west 
  monsoon 
  for 
  it 
  to 
  reach 
  maturity. 
  There 
  

   is 
  no 
  tank 
  irrigation, 
  and 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  paddy 
  is 
  either 
  sown 
  broad-cast 
  or 
  

   in 
  lines 
  behind 
  a 
  plough. 
  Transplantation, 
  where 
  it 
  occurs, 
  is 
  done 
  after 
  

   the 
  monsoon 
  has 
  burst 
  and 
  the 
  fields 
  are 
  flooded. 
  Once 
  the 
  monsoon 
  

   has 
  burst 
  and 
  burst 
  well, 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  more 
  trouble 
  from 
  Spodoptera 
  as 
  

   the 
  fields 
  fill 
  up 
  so 
  rapidly 
  and 
  the 
  rain 
  descends 
  with 
  such 
  force 
  that 
  the 
  

   larvse 
  are 
  drowned 
  and 
  carried 
  away. 
  They 
  may 
  also 
  be 
  driven 
  to 
  the 
  

   tops 
  of 
  the 
  paddy 
  blades 
  and 
  devoured 
  by 
  birds. 
  If 
  the 
  monsoon 
  is 
  late, 
  

  

  * 
  Fletcher, 
  Some 
  South 
  Indian 
  Insects, 
  p. 
  378. 
  

  

  t 
  Unless 
  the 
  contrary 
  is 
  stated 
  all 
  remarks 
  on 
  the 
  habits 
  of 
  Spodoptera 
  mamitia 
  only 
  

   apply 
  to 
  Malabar 
  district. 
  

  

  