﻿PROCEEDINGS 
  OF 
  THE 
  FOURTH 
  ENTOMOLOGICAL 
  MEETING 
  305 
  

  

  Copulation. 
  The 
  male 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  introduced 
  into 
  the 
  block 
  

   containing 
  the 
  female 
  rushes 
  towards 
  her 
  and 
  copulates. 
  The 
  copulation 
  

   seems 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  very 
  quick 
  affair. 
  The 
  male 
  comes 
  near 
  the 
  female 
  and 
  

   bends 
  the 
  tip 
  of 
  his 
  abdomen 
  towards 
  her 
  ovipositor 
  and 
  within 
  a 
  few 
  

   seconds 
  retires. 
  We 
  cannot 
  with 
  certainty 
  say 
  that 
  copulation 
  was 
  

   effected 
  properly 
  in 
  the 
  laboratory 
  because 
  the 
  progeny 
  of 
  the 
  females 
  

   that 
  had 
  hatched 
  out 
  in 
  the 
  laboratory 
  and 
  were 
  supplied 
  with 
  males, 
  

   turned 
  out 
  to 
  be 
  all 
  males. 
  (See 
  below). 
  

  

  Parthenogenesis 
  and 
  sex. 
  The 
  phenomenon 
  of 
  parthenogenesis 
  has 
  

   been 
  recorded 
  in 
  the 
  Braconidse, 
  and 
  occurs 
  in 
  Microhmcon 
  lefroyi 
  

   also. 
  Some 
  of 
  the 
  females 
  that 
  had 
  emerged 
  in 
  the 
  laboratory 
  were 
  

   kept 
  without 
  males 
  and 
  made 
  to 
  oviposit 
  on 
  the 
  caterpillars 
  of 
  Earias. 
  

   They 
  did 
  so 
  quite 
  readily 
  and 
  one 
  female 
  laid 
  as 
  many 
  as 
  219 
  eggs 
  without 
  

   having 
  been 
  fertilized. 
  All 
  the 
  individuals 
  from 
  this 
  lot 
  that 
  attained 
  

   maturity 
  were 
  males. 
  Thus 
  our 
  observations 
  agree 
  with 
  those 
  of 
  

   Pennington 
  (g) 
  on 
  Rhogas 
  ferminalis, 
  Cress. 
  The 
  same 
  has 
  been 
  found 
  

   in 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  other 
  Braconidse. 
  Thus 
  in 
  M. 
  lefroyi 
  virgin 
  females 
  only 
  

   give 
  males, 
  while 
  fertilized 
  females 
  give 
  rise 
  to 
  both 
  sexes. 
  

  

  General. 
  Before 
  discussing 
  the 
  possibilities 
  of 
  controlling 
  the 
  boll- 
  

   worm 
  of 
  cotton 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  Microbracon 
  it 
  will 
  not 
  be 
  out 
  of 
  place 
  to 
  

   give 
  a 
  very 
  brief 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  former. 
  The 
  caterpillars 
  of 
  E. 
  insulana 
  

   and 
  E. 
  fabia 
  are 
  found 
  throughout 
  the 
  year. 
  They 
  feed 
  on 
  cotton 
  from 
  

   June 
  to 
  January, 
  and 
  by 
  then 
  they 
  find 
  hollyhock 
  and 
  breed 
  on 
  it 
  till 
  

   about 
  April, 
  when 
  bhindi 
  is 
  ready 
  to 
  provide 
  them 
  with 
  food, 
  and 
  on 
  this 
  

   they 
  live 
  till 
  cottons 
  are 
  big 
  enough 
  to 
  receive 
  them. 
  The 
  life 
  cycle 
  is 
  

   on 
  an 
  average 
  30 
  days 
  in 
  summer 
  but 
  in 
  winter 
  it 
  is 
  much 
  prolonged 
  and 
  

   may 
  occupy 
  as 
  long 
  as 
  116 
  days. 
  

  

  The 
  number 
  of 
  eggs 
  laid 
  remains 
  to 
  be 
  discovered. 
  The 
  highest 
  

   number 
  we 
  have 
  obtained 
  in 
  the 
  laboratory 
  from 
  a 
  single 
  female 
  has 
  

   been 
  108. 
  DudgeoD(y) 
  obtained 
  as 
  many 
  as 
  233. 
  Lefroy(g) 
  got 
  50 
  to 
  

   70 
  in 
  captivity. 
  The 
  dissection 
  of 
  a 
  female 
  showed 
  over 
  300 
  eggs 
  com- 
  

   plete 
  with 
  their 
  shells 
  and 
  many 
  more 
  immature 
  eggs 
  in 
  its 
  ovaries. 
  

   Very 
  probably 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  eggs 
  laid 
  by 
  Earias 
  is 
  over 
  500. 
  

  

  During 
  summer 
  the 
  eggs 
  hatched 
  out 
  in 
  about 
  4 
  to 
  5 
  days 
  and 
  the 
  

   caterpillar 
  stage 
  lasts 
  for 
  about 
  two 
  weeks. 
  When 
  full-fed 
  the 
  cater- 
  

   pillar 
  spins 
  a 
  tough 
  cocoon 
  which 
  varies 
  in 
  colour 
  and 
  may 
  be 
  from 
  

   white 
  to 
  dark 
  grey. 
  The 
  pupal 
  stage 
  lasts 
  for 
  about 
  a 
  week. 
  

  

  The 
  caterpillar 
  attacks 
  different 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  cotton 
  plant 
  according 
  

   to 
  the 
  stage 
  of 
  the 
  growth 
  of 
  the 
  plant. 
  When 
  the 
  plant 
  is 
  young 
  they 
  

   eat 
  young 
  leaves 
  and 
  bore 
  into 
  the 
  buds, 
  thus 
  killing 
  the 
  growing 
  points. 
  

   When 
  the 
  floral 
  buds 
  appear 
  they 
  turn 
  their 
  attention 
  to 
  them 
  and 
  bore 
  

   into 
  them 
  and 
  eat 
  unopened 
  flowers. 
  Sometimes 
  shoots 
  are 
  bored 
  

  

  