﻿PEOCEEDLNGS 
  OF 
  THE 
  FOURTH 
  ENTOMOLOGICAL 
  MEETING 
  111 
  

  

  come 
  to 
  sugarcane 
  by 
  choice. 
  They 
  were 
  equally 
  or 
  rather 
  more 
  common 
  

   among 
  the 
  grasses 
  surrounding 
  the 
  Farm 
  and 
  also 
  among 
  the 
  grasses 
  

   growing 
  on 
  roads 
  running 
  between 
  and 
  bordering 
  the 
  various 
  blocks. 
  

   Similarly 
  they 
  were 
  found 
  among 
  grasses 
  growing 
  in 
  the 
  blocks 
  sown 
  

   with 
  Sesbania 
  (Dhainclia). 
  Among 
  sugarcane 
  also 
  they 
  were 
  practi- 
  

   cally 
  equally 
  prevalent 
  in 
  blocks 
  which 
  had 
  good 
  and 
  apparently 
  healthy 
  

   crops, 
  as 
  in 
  those 
  which 
  seemed 
  to 
  have 
  suffered 
  badly. 
  

  

  Actually 
  however 
  a 
  slight 
  difference 
  was 
  observed 
  in 
  their 
  distribu- 
  

   tion 
  in 
  the 
  difierent 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  blocks. 
  Parts 
  where 
  many 
  shoots 
  

   were 
  growing 
  had 
  attracted 
  more 
  beetles. 
  The 
  beetles 
  also 
  seemed 
  

   to 
  be 
  somewhat 
  gregarious 
  in 
  habit. 
  Among 
  some 
  ratoon 
  stools 
  as 
  

   well 
  as 
  among 
  some 
  stools 
  of 
  the 
  plant 
  cane 
  as 
  many 
  as 
  10, 
  15 
  or 
  even 
  

   20 
  beetles 
  were 
  present. 
  Similarly 
  among 
  individual 
  grass 
  stools 
  on 
  

   the 
  roads 
  of 
  the 
  Farm 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  outside 
  the 
  Farm 
  up 
  to 
  34 
  beetles 
  were 
  

   observed 
  to 
  have 
  congregated. 
  The 
  number 
  of 
  beetles 
  in 
  parts 
  of 
  tlie 
  

   plant 
  cane 
  with 
  poor 
  and 
  patchy 
  germination 
  was 
  much 
  less. 
  But 
  a 
  

   single 
  beetle 
  was 
  enough 
  to 
  kill 
  the 
  solitary 
  shoots. 
  Where 
  gerniination 
  

   was 
  extremely 
  poor 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  beetles 
  was 
  still 
  less 
  as 
  there 
  was 
  

   hardly 
  anything 
  above 
  ground 
  to 
  attract 
  them. 
  In 
  such 
  parts 
  the 
  

   setts 
  were 
  observed 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  bored 
  by 
  stray 
  beetles 
  here 
  and 
  there. 
  

  

  It 
  was 
  evident 
  that 
  after 
  having 
  swarmed 
  and 
  spread 
  once, 
  the 
  

   beetles 
  did 
  not 
  migrate 
  again 
  from 
  places 
  where 
  they 
  happened 
  to 
  alight. 
  

   It 
  was 
  ascertained 
  by 
  examination 
  that 
  many 
  beetles 
  were 
  present 
  

   underground 
  in 
  the 
  South-eastern 
  part 
  of 
  Block 
  III. 
  No 
  hole 
  could 
  

   be 
  observed 
  in 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  soil 
  which 
  had 
  been 
  beaten 
  down 
  by 
  

   rain. 
  The 
  surface 
  was 
  examined 
  very 
  carefully 
  at 
  night 
  with 
  lantern 
  

   in 
  hand. 
  It 
  was 
  clear 
  that 
  no 
  beetle 
  was 
  going 
  out. 
  

  

  The 
  beetles 
  were 
  mainly 
  attracted 
  by 
  and 
  fed 
  upon 
  new 
  and 
  growing 
  

   shoots. 
  Among 
  plant 
  canes 
  after 
  having 
  fed 
  on 
  the 
  shoots 
  they 
  went 
  

   into 
  setts 
  if 
  they 
  wanted 
  to 
  feed 
  longer. 
  Similarly 
  among 
  ratoons 
  

   they 
  did 
  not 
  attack 
  the 
  stumps 
  unless 
  forced 
  to 
  do 
  so 
  for 
  want 
  of 
  growing 
  

   shoots. 
  

  

  The 
  beetles 
  fed 
  for 
  a 
  short 
  time 
  after 
  swarming 
  and 
  then 
  they 
  rested. 
  

   They 
  were 
  not 
  attracted 
  to 
  strong 
  electric 
  lights, 
  nor 
  to 
  a 
  bait 
  of 
  

   molasses, 
  country 
  liquor 
  and 
  ethyl 
  acetate. 
  

  

  The 
  Farm 
  was 
  started 
  in 
  1915 
  and 
  from 
  records 
  of 
  rainfall 
  kept 
  

   from 
  April 
  1915 
  it 
  was 
  found 
  that 
  from 
  February 
  till 
  October 
  the 
  rain 
  

   was 
  fairly 
  well 
  distributed 
  in 
  1916, 
  1917 
  and 
  1918. 
  In 
  1919 
  however 
  

   there 
  was 
  hardly 
  any 
  rain 
  till 
  5th 
  April. 
  

  

  The 
  primary 
  cause 
  of 
  the 
  trouble 
  was 
  the 
  droughty 
  condition 
  which 
  

   prevailed 
  up 
  to 
  5th 
  April. 
  Parts 
  of 
  the 
  Farm 
  where 
  the 
  soil 
  retained 
  

  

  