﻿PROCEEDINGS 
  OF 
  THE 
  FOITRTH 
  ENTOMOLOGICAL 
  MEETING 
  71 
  

  

  is 
  or 
  should 
  be 
  grown 
  as 
  a 
  garden 
  crop 
  and 
  as 
  an 
  annual, 
  and 
  before 
  

   the 
  war 
  this 
  was 
  the 
  most 
  general 
  practice. 
  One 
  to 
  three 
  pickings 
  were 
  

   obtained 
  during 
  the 
  cotton 
  season 
  varying 
  with 
  the 
  agricultural 
  practices 
  

   of 
  different 
  districts. 
  Raiyats 
  in 
  some 
  parts 
  were 
  content 
  with 
  a 
  single 
  

   picking 
  (March 
  to 
  the 
  beginning 
  of 
  May) 
  and 
  then 
  pulled 
  the 
  crop 
  up 
  and 
  

   prepared 
  the 
  land 
  for 
  a 
  cereal 
  (ragi). 
  In 
  other 
  parts 
  the 
  crop 
  would 
  

   remain 
  in 
  the 
  ground 
  until 
  September 
  and 
  three 
  pickings 
  would 
  be 
  

   obtained. 
  

  

  The 
  high 
  prices 
  which 
  ruled 
  during 
  the 
  late 
  war 
  caused 
  a 
  great 
  increase 
  

   in 
  the 
  area 
  under 
  cotton, 
  especially 
  Cambodia, 
  and 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  get 
  the 
  

   utmost 
  from 
  the 
  crop 
  most 
  raiyats 
  kept 
  their 
  plants 
  in 
  the 
  ground 
  for 
  two 
  

   or 
  even 
  three 
  years. 
  It 
  was 
  also 
  grown 
  as 
  a 
  dry 
  crop 
  instead 
  of 
  under 
  

   irrigation. 
  Thus 
  provided 
  with 
  a 
  continuous 
  food 
  supply, 
  the 
  increase 
  

   of 
  P. 
  gossypiella 
  was 
  very 
  rapid, 
  leading 
  finally 
  to 
  the 
  state 
  of 
  affairs 
  

   when 
  it 
  was 
  proclaimed 
  under 
  the 
  Pest 
  Act. 
  

  

  The 
  writer 
  returned 
  to 
  India, 
  after 
  over 
  3| 
  years' 
  absence, 
  in 
  May 
  1919 
  

   just 
  after 
  the 
  conclusion 
  of 
  the 
  season-picking 
  for 
  1918-19 
  crop, 
  and 
  the 
  

   words 
  "Pink 
  B 
  oil- 
  worm 
  " 
  seemed 
  to 
  be 
  in 
  everybody's 
  mouth. 
  In 
  

   June 
  1919 
  investigations 
  were 
  begun 
  of 
  which 
  this 
  paper 
  embodies 
  the 
  

   preliminary 
  results. 
  

  

  The 
  Pink 
  Boll-worm. 
  — 
  The 
  parent 
  of 
  the 
  Pink 
  Boll- 
  worm 
  is 
  a 
  small 
  

   moth 
  described 
  by 
  Durrant 
  (2) 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  " 
  Dark 
  fuscous 
  brown, 
  the 
  head 
  and 
  thorax 
  somewhat 
  lighter 
  in 
  

   colour. 
  Anterior 
  wings 
  with 
  an 
  undefined 
  round 
  blackish 
  spot 
  on 
  the 
  

   disc 
  a 
  little 
  above 
  the 
  centre, 
  and 
  a 
  fascia 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  colour 
  crossing 
  

   the 
  wings 
  a 
  little 
  above 
  the 
  apex, 
  which 
  itself 
  is 
  black. 
  Under 
  wings 
  of 
  a 
  

   silvery 
  grey, 
  darker 
  towards 
  the 
  hinder 
  margin. 
  Legs 
  and 
  tarsi 
  black- 
  

   brown, 
  with 
  the 
  joints 
  light. 
  Length 
  4-lOths 
  inch." 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  a 
  member 
  of 
  the 
  super-family 
  Tineina, 
  Order 
  Lepidoptera, 
  

   Busck 
  (3) 
  erected 
  the 
  genus 
  Pectinophora 
  in 
  his 
  paper 
  in 
  the 
  Journal 
  

   of 
  Agricultural 
  Research, 
  Vol. 
  IX, 
  No. 
  10. 
  It 
  is 
  also 
  known 
  as 
  Platyedra 
  

   gossypiella. 
  The 
  female 
  moth 
  lays 
  from 
  200 
  — 
  400 
  eggs, 
  a 
  fact 
  which 
  

   accounts 
  for 
  the 
  extraordinarily 
  rapid 
  increase 
  towards 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  

   cotton 
  season, 
  figures 
  for 
  which 
  are 
  given 
  in 
  another 
  part 
  of 
  this 
  paper. 
  

  

  Egg. 
  — 
  The 
  eggs 
  are 
  0-52 
  to 
  0-54 
  mm. 
  in 
  length, 
  rather 
  flattened, 
  

   striated 
  and 
  iridescent 
  under 
  the 
  microscope. 
  They 
  are 
  laid 
  on 
  the 
  

   bolls 
  or 
  thrust 
  between 
  the 
  bracts 
  and 
  the 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  boll. 
  Young 
  

   half-developed 
  bolls 
  are 
  preferred 
  as 
  a 
  place 
  for 
  oviposition 
  to 
  buds 
  

   or 
  flowers; 
  but 
  eggs 
  are 
  also 
  laid 
  on 
  these 
  latter 
  early 
  in 
  the 
  season 
  

   before 
  the 
  bolls 
  form. 
  

  

  Larva.-^The 
  egg 
  period 
  varies 
  from 
  three 
  to 
  seven 
  days. 
  The 
  just 
  

   hatched 
  larva 
  measures 
  2 
  mm., 
  with 
  a 
  dark 
  head 
  and 
  prothoracic 
  shield. 
  

  

  «2 
  

  

  