MITES 543 



the stamens often having no pollen. The ovary becomes 

 inflated, and, bursting down one side, displays a smaller 

 flower of like structure, the ovary of which may even show a 

 third flower from its interior. 



Trail, J. W. H., A fin. Scot. Nat. Hist., 1907, p. 252. 



Eriophyes stenaspis (Nal.) forms a very characteristic gall 

 on living beech leaves, the margin of the leaf being rolled up 

 into a narrow tube, more or less filled with hairs. 



The pink tea mite {Phytoptus theae, Watt). According to 

 Sir George Watt, by whom the mite was first discovered, the 

 tea plant suffers very severely in Assam, Cachar, Darjeeling, 

 and Duars. The characteristics of the disease are very pale- 

 coloured leaves, almost white, dry, convex above, with the 

 margins and veins of a pink colour. In an advanced stage 

 of disease the leaves are almost bronzed, from the extension 

 of the pink tinge over the larger portion of the leaves, but 

 they did not wither and fall off the bush. Under a pocket- 

 lens it is seen that the pink tinge is due to the presence of 

 myriads of very minute pink mites. The adult mite is about 

 1/00 of an inch long, linear-oblong, broadest near the head 

 and gradually tapering to the tail. In walking the head is 

 carried at a higher level than the tail, which is furnished with 

 a sucker-like arrangement. 



The immature mites are more elliptic in shape and taper 

 at both extremities. At first they are pure white and hyaline, 

 and only assume a pink colour after having moulted twice. 



The pink mite is hardly, if at all, found on the China tea 

 plant, and less on the Manipurijat than on the Assam indi- 

 genous. It occurs on rich plateau lands, and like other mites 

 prevails to a greater extent during dry seasons than in wet 

 weather, but is not washed off the bushes at all easily, as if a 

 fortnight's dry weather occurs in the middle of the rains it is 

 again present and doing damage. 



Bordeaux mixture is the best treatment, and should be 

 applied immediately after pruning. The cost is amply re- 

 paid in a single season. Sulphur is also effective if it can be 

 got on the under surface of the leaves. 



Watt, Sir George, and Mann, H. H., The Pests and Plights 

 of the Tea Plant, Ed. 2 (1903). 



The five ribbed tea mite {Phytoptus carinatus, Green), 

 known also as the ' purple and white mite,' was first observed 



