﻿72 
  PEOCEEDINGS 
  OF 
  THE 
  FOURTH 
  ENTOMOLOGICAL 
  MEETIN<J 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  colourless 
  and 
  very 
  difficult 
  to 
  see 
  against 
  the 
  lint 
  or 
  the 
  wall 
  of 
  the- 
  

  

  cotton 
  boll. 
  

  

  Immediately 
  after 
  hatching 
  it 
  bores 
  its 
  way 
  into 
  the 
  boll, 
  usually 
  

   from 
  the 
  side, 
  frequently 
  from 
  the 
  top, 
  or 
  very 
  rarely 
  from 
  below. 
  Once 
  

   inside, 
  the 
  wound 
  caused 
  by 
  its 
  entrance 
  closes 
  up 
  and 
  nothing 
  can 
  be 
  

   seen 
  to 
  show 
  that 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  boll-worm 
  inside 
  the 
  boll. 
  This 
  disposes 
  

   at 
  once 
  of 
  the 
  suggested 
  remedy 
  so 
  often 
  advocated, 
  to 
  pick 
  all 
  first- 
  

   attacked 
  bolls. 
  When 
  the 
  larva 
  has 
  effected 
  its 
  entrance 
  into 
  the 
  boll 
  it 
  

   generally 
  begins 
  to 
  bore 
  its 
  way 
  into 
  a 
  seed 
  at 
  once, 
  and 
  remains 
  in 
  it 
  

   until 
  the 
  contents 
  are 
  finished 
  ; 
  it 
  then 
  moves 
  on 
  to 
  another 
  seed. 
  It 
  

   does 
  not 
  necessarily 
  remain 
  in 
  one 
  lock 
  but 
  often 
  cuts 
  a 
  hale 
  through 
  

   the 
  septum 
  and 
  invades 
  the 
  neighbouring 
  lock. 
  (Plate 
  XIII, 
  figurea^ 
  

  

  1-4.) 
  

  

  The 
  number 
  of 
  seeds 
  destroyed 
  by 
  a 
  pink 
  boll-worm 
  seems 
  to 
  vary,, 
  

   some 
  seeming 
  to 
  require 
  more 
  food 
  in 
  a 
  boll 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  age 
  than 
  others. 
  

   Very 
  young 
  bolls 
  when 
  attacked 
  are 
  generally 
  entirely 
  destroyed. 
  When 
  

   flowers 
  are 
  attacked 
  the 
  larva 
  feeds 
  on 
  the 
  anthers 
  and 
  may 
  descend 
  

   later 
  to 
  the 
  ovary. 
  Open 
  flowers 
  appear 
  to 
  be 
  preferred 
  to 
  flower 
  buds. 
  

  

  The 
  characteristic 
  pink 
  colour 
  is 
  acquired 
  as 
  a 
  general 
  rule 
  in 
  the 
  

   last 
  two 
  instars 
  before 
  pupation 
  but 
  larvae 
  which 
  have 
  fed 
  in 
  open 
  flowers 
  

   remain 
  cream-coloured. 
  The 
  length 
  of 
  the 
  larval 
  life 
  varies 
  and 
  this 
  

   question 
  will 
  be 
  dealt 
  with 
  later. 
  

  

  Pufa. 
  — 
  The 
  pupa 
  is 
  a 
  small 
  object, 
  5-75 
  mm. 
  to 
  about 
  8 
  mm. 
  in 
  length, 
  

   and 
  enclosed 
  in 
  a 
  cocoon 
  spun 
  by 
  the 
  larva. 
  The 
  pupal 
  period 
  varies 
  

   from 
  seven 
  to 
  fifteen 
  days. 
  

  

  Pupation 
  takes 
  place 
  either 
  in 
  the 
  boll, 
  amongst 
  the 
  lint, 
  inside 
  the 
  

   seed, 
  in 
  double 
  seeds, 
  i.e., 
  two 
  seeds 
  spun 
  together, 
  in 
  the 
  bracts 
  or 
  at 
  

   the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  boll, 
  or 
  in 
  cracks 
  in 
  the 
  soil. 
  Several 
  cases 
  have 
  been 
  seen 
  

   of 
  pupge 
  formed 
  in 
  the 
  septum 
  between 
  two 
  locks 
  inside 
  the 
  boll. 
  The 
  

   larvge 
  appear 
  to 
  prefer 
  a 
  corner 
  of 
  some 
  kind 
  against 
  which 
  to 
  spin 
  the 
  

   cocoon. 
  For 
  example, 
  a 
  batch 
  of 
  mature 
  larvae 
  was 
  confined 
  between 
  

   watch 
  glasses 
  and 
  spun 
  their 
  cocoons 
  all 
  round 
  the 
  edge 
  where 
  the 
  two 
  

   glasses 
  joined. 
  

  

  Although 
  a 
  point 
  of 
  some 
  importance, 
  it 
  is 
  doubtful 
  how 
  long 
  the 
  

   moth 
  lives 
  after 
  emergence 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  thing 
  very 
  difficult 
  to 
  test 
  in 
  nature. 
  

   Under 
  laboratory 
  conditions 
  moths 
  lived 
  for 
  as 
  long 
  as 
  14 
  days, 
  but 
  

   this 
  is 
  no 
  proof 
  that 
  they 
  live 
  so 
  long 
  or 
  so 
  short 
  a 
  time 
  in 
  a 
  natural 
  

   environment. 
  

  

  Busck 
  (^) 
  states 
  that 
  they 
  have 
  been 
  kept 
  alive 
  with 
  care 
  for 
  34 
  days. 
  

  

  Most 
  of 
  the 
  foregoing 
  facts 
  have 
  been 
  ascertained 
  by 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  

   different 
  workers 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  whole 
  P. 
  gossypieUa 
  in 
  South 
  India 
  behaves 
  

   similarly 
  to 
  P. 
  gossypiella 
  in 
  Egypt, 
  Northern 
  India 
  or 
  Hawaii. 
  

  

  