﻿PEOCEEDINGS 
  OF 
  THE 
  FOURTH 
  ElVTOMOLOGICAL 
  MEETING 
  159 
  

  

  the 
  body 
  of 
  tlie 
  host. 
  It 
  then 
  bends 
  its 
  head 
  upwards 
  and 
  begins 
  

   spinning 
  again 
  at 
  the 
  unfinished 
  end 
  until 
  the 
  second 
  half 
  is 
  completed 
  

   when 
  it 
  has 
  an 
  elongated 
  oval 
  shape 
  with 
  the 
  anterior 
  end 
  more 
  pointed 
  

   than 
  the 
  other, 
  [Plate 
  XXVII, 
  Fig. 
  1 
  (^)]. 
  The 
  cocoons 
  are 
  formed 
  

   side 
  by 
  side 
  in 
  a 
  compact 
  mass 
  and 
  rest 
  loosely 
  on 
  the 
  body 
  of 
  the 
  

   host, 
  which 
  by 
  this 
  time 
  is 
  reduced 
  to 
  about 
  half 
  its 
  original 
  size. 
  

   [Plate 
  XXVII, 
  Fig. 
  2 
  (i)]. 
  The 
  host 
  becomes 
  motionless 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  

   the 
  larvae 
  within 
  commence 
  to 
  make 
  their 
  way 
  out, 
  and 
  by 
  the 
  time 
  

   the 
  cocoons 
  are 
  finished, 
  about 
  12 
  hours, 
  it 
  dies. 
  The 
  length 
  of 
  the 
  

   pupal 
  stage 
  varies 
  considerably 
  at 
  different 
  seasons 
  of 
  the 
  year. 
  In 
  

   November 
  it 
  varies 
  from 
  9 
  to 
  12 
  days, 
  in 
  December 
  it 
  is 
  17 
  days, 
  in 
  

   January 
  and 
  February 
  11 
  days 
  and 
  in 
  March 
  8 
  days. 
  Towards 
  the 
  end 
  

   of 
  March 
  or 
  early 
  in 
  April, 
  when 
  the 
  temperature 
  rises 
  considerably 
  and 
  

   relative 
  humidity 
  falls, 
  the 
  grubs 
  within 
  sestivate 
  and 
  they 
  come 
  

   out 
  as 
  adults 
  in 
  autumn 
  next 
  under 
  normal 
  conditions. 
  In 
  the 
  

   hills, 
  emergence 
  from 
  sestivating 
  cocoons 
  commences 
  with 
  the 
  break 
  of 
  

   the 
  South-west 
  monsoon 
  in 
  June. 
  An 
  adult 
  insect 
  makes 
  its 
  way 
  out 
  

   of 
  the 
  cocoon 
  by 
  cutting 
  out 
  a 
  circular 
  disc 
  at 
  one 
  end 
  which 
  hangs 
  like 
  

   a 
  lid. 
  

  

  Adult. 
  There 
  is 
  no 
  marked 
  external 
  character 
  by 
  which 
  the 
  male 
  

   and 
  female 
  insects 
  may 
  be 
  distinguished, 
  except 
  in 
  the 
  lengths 
  of 
  the 
  

   antennae 
  which 
  in 
  the 
  male 
  is 
  somewhat 
  longer 
  than 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  female 
  

   [Plate 
  XXVII, 
  Figs. 
  2 
  {^, 
  ^)], 
  They 
  become 
  active 
  within 
  an 
  hour 
  

   after 
  emergence 
  from 
  cocoon 
  and 
  begin 
  to 
  pair. 
  The 
  length 
  of 
  the 
  

   adult 
  stage 
  is 
  about 
  3 
  to 
  4 
  days 
  after 
  which 
  they 
  die 
  irrespective 
  of 
  

   whether 
  egg 
  laying 
  has 
  been 
  done 
  or 
  not. 
  As 
  regards 
  their 
  selection 
  of 
  

   host 
  insect 
  a 
  gravid 
  female 
  parasite 
  lays 
  eggs 
  only 
  on 
  caterpillars 
  of 
  

   Agrotis 
  ypsiloji. 
  Several 
  attempts 
  have 
  been 
  made 
  to 
  breed 
  them 
  on 
  

   Tobacco 
  caterpillar 
  [Prodenia 
  litura) 
  but 
  always 
  without 
  success. 
  

  

  II. 
  Life 
  cycle 
  under 
  -field 
  conditions. 
  

  

  The 
  adults 
  first 
  appear 
  in 
  the 
  field 
  presumably 
  with 
  the 
  first 
  brood 
  

   of 
  host 
  insect, 
  i.e., 
  in 
  September 
  or 
  October 
  when 
  the 
  flood 
  water 
  is 
  about 
  

   to 
  drain 
  away, 
  but 
  its 
  presence 
  is 
  not 
  noticed 
  until 
  it 
  has 
  passed 
  through 
  

   a 
  few 
  broods 
  and 
  attacked 
  the 
  destructive 
  second 
  brood 
  of 
  the 
  cater- 
  

   pillar 
  pest. 
  Among 
  the 
  first 
  brood 
  caterpillars 
  it 
  is 
  only 
  rarely 
  that 
  a 
  

   parasitized 
  one 
  is 
  found 
  but 
  in 
  November 
  and 
  December 
  the 
  number 
  

   of 
  parasites 
  increases 
  so 
  enormously 
  that 
  50 
  to 
  70 
  per 
  cent, 
  of 
  the 
  late 
  

   brood 
  caterpillars 
  are 
  found 
  to 
  be 
  afiected. 
  This 
  high 
  percentage 
  of 
  

   parasitization 
  in 
  the 
  second 
  brood 
  of 
  the 
  caterpillar 
  pest 
  has 
  no 
  beneficial 
  

   effect 
  on 
  the 
  crop 
  as 
  when 
  the 
  caterpillars 
  succumb 
  to 
  their 
  attack 
  the 
  

   damage 
  to 
  the 
  crop 
  has 
  already 
  been 
  done. 
  The 
  parasite 
  remains 
  active 
  

  

  