﻿20.— 
  A 
  PEELIMINARY 
  LIST 
  OF 
  THE 
  INSECT 
  PESTS 
  OF 
  MESO- 
  

   POTAMIA. 
  

  

  By 
  Rao 
  Sahib 
  Y. 
  Eamachandra 
  Rao, 
  M.A., 
  F.E.S., 
  Assistant 
  Entomo- 
  

   logist^ 
  Coimbatore. 
  

  

  Mesopotamia 
  in 
  its 
  strict 
  sense 
  refers 
  to 
  the 
  land 
  between 
  the 
  two 
  

   rivers, 
  the 
  Tigris 
  and 
  the 
  Euphrates. 
  The 
  land 
  under 
  British 
  occupa- 
  

   tion 
  at 
  present 
  and 
  going 
  under 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  Mesopotamia 
  is 
  the 
  great 
  

   low-lying 
  plain 
  stretching 
  from 
  the 
  highlands 
  of 
  Kurdistan 
  in 
  the 
  North 
  

   to 
  the 
  shores 
  of 
  the 
  Persian 
  Gulf, 
  and 
  lying 
  between 
  the 
  highlying 
  Persian 
  

   Plateau 
  on 
  the 
  East 
  to 
  the 
  tableland 
  of 
  the 
  Arabian 
  Desert 
  on 
  the 
  West. 
  

   Geographically 
  it 
  consists 
  of 
  two 
  distinct 
  portions 
  — 
  a 
  northern 
  half 
  

   extending 
  down 
  to 
  a 
  few 
  miles 
  north 
  of 
  the 
  latitude 
  of 
  Baghdad 
  and 
  

   consisting 
  of 
  a 
  region 
  of 
  undulating 
  steppe 
  land 
  — 
  covered 
  with 
  grasses 
  

   and 
  beautiful 
  flowering 
  shrubs 
  in 
  spring 
  and 
  dry 
  during 
  the 
  rest 
  of 
  

   the 
  year. 
  It 
  is 
  known 
  as 
  " 
  Al 
  Jezirah 
  " 
  or 
  the 
  Island. 
  The 
  Southern 
  

   known 
  as 
  " 
  Iraq 
  Arabi" 
  is 
  a 
  region 
  of 
  a 
  dead 
  level 
  alluvial 
  fiat, 
  stretching 
  

   from 
  above 
  Baghdad 
  down 
  to 
  the 
  sea. 
  Excepting 
  the 
  banks 
  of 
  rivers 
  

   and 
  the 
  neighbourhood 
  of 
  canals 
  which 
  are 
  marked 
  by 
  groves 
  of 
  the 
  Date 
  

   Palm 
  and 
  clumps 
  of 
  Poplars, 
  Iraq 
  is 
  absolutely 
  devoid 
  of 
  trees 
  and 
  almost 
  

   the 
  only 
  vegetation 
  noticeable 
  on 
  this 
  vast 
  plain 
  is 
  the 
  ubiquitous 
  Camel- 
  

   thorn 
  {Agool, 
  At.) 
  and 
  the 
  " 
  Shoq 
  " 
  (Prosojns). 
  Lower 
  down, 
  where 
  the 
  

   Tigris 
  and 
  Euphrates 
  annually 
  spread 
  their 
  overflowing 
  waters 
  over 
  

   all 
  the 
  lowlying 
  portions, 
  the 
  plain 
  dissolves 
  itself 
  into 
  a 
  region 
  

   of 
  permanent 
  marshes 
  covered 
  with 
  rushes 
  and 
  tall 
  grasses. 
  The 
  

   soil 
  is 
  a 
  fine 
  alluvium 
  which 
  is 
  extremely 
  fertile 
  and 
  stands 
  in 
  need 
  of 
  

   little 
  else 
  than 
  the 
  fertilising 
  waters 
  of 
  the 
  twin 
  rivers 
  to 
  produce 
  an 
  

   abundant 
  harvest. 
  That 
  the 
  land 
  was 
  in 
  ancient 
  times 
  intensely 
  culti- 
  

   vated 
  and 
  highly 
  prosperous 
  is 
  beyond 
  doubt, 
  as 
  is 
  indeed 
  fully 
  testified 
  

   by 
  the 
  ruined 
  banks 
  of 
  ancient 
  canals 
  which 
  seam 
  the 
  country 
  in 
  all 
  

   directions 
  and 
  serve 
  as 
  the 
  only 
  landmarks 
  in 
  an 
  indescribable 
  waste 
  

   as 
  limitless 
  as 
  the 
  sky. 
  The 
  marvellous 
  find 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  ancient 
  library 
  

   and 
  inscriptions 
  known 
  to 
  man 
  written 
  in 
  the 
  Cuneiform 
  Script— 
  the 
  

   deciphering 
  of 
  which 
  has 
  been 
  a 
  romance 
  in 
  the 
  history 
  of 
  archaeology 
  — 
  

   has 
  disclosed 
  to 
  the 
  world 
  what 
  a 
  highly 
  developed 
  standard 
  of 
  civiliza- 
  

   tion 
  had 
  been 
  attained 
  in 
  the 
  times 
  of 
  the 
  ancient 
  Babylonian 
  and 
  

   Assyrian 
  Empires. 
  Various 
  Kings 
  of 
  Babylon 
  have 
  in 
  their 
  inscrip- 
  

   tions 
  commemorated 
  the 
  construction 
  of 
  numerous 
  famous 
  canals 
  many 
  

   of 
  which 
  may 
  be 
  recognized 
  in 
  their 
  ruined 
  condition 
  even 
  at 
  the 
  present 
  

  

  ( 
  164 
  ) 
  

  

  