3 THE POOD OF BIRDS IN INDIA. 



4. From which some valuable marketable product is ob- 

 tained : Silk, honey, wax, lac, dye, &c. 



Silk from various members of the Saturniadse esp. A. 

 ricini, and A. paphiw and Bombycidae- Bombyx wort. 

 Honey and wax from bees (Apidce). 



Lac and dyes from one or two members of the scale insects 

 (Coccidce). 



II. Injurious 



1. Disease carriers to animals. 



Mosquitoes, Fleas. (Culicidcv and Siphonaptera.) 



2. Destructive to crops, forests, stored grain, fabrics, 



timber and food stuffs. Insects destructive to crops 

 are various and cause damage in a number of ways. 

 Caterpillars eat leaves and bore into the stem and 

 roots, various beetles such as the Chrysomelidce are 

 defoliators and the Iarva3 of others tunnel into twigs 

 and stems such as Buprestidce and CurculionidcB of 

 various species. Aphidce and other Hemiptera suck 

 out the juices of plants. 



Stored grain and food stuffs are attacked by many well- 

 known pesis such as the Rice Weevil, and many other 

 beetle and moth larvaa. 



Forests and timber by various wood-borer Iarva3 (Coleop- 

 tera and Lepidoptera) the former too often by defo- 

 liating caterpillars. 



Fabrics by clothes moths, wood-boring beetles and others. 



III. Harmless or neutral 



These insects that cannot be classed as either beneficial 

 or injurious. This class contains by far the larger 

 proportion of insect life, but vast numbers of which, if 

 adopting the same habits as are seen in others of the 

 same families and genera, may become pests, and 

 especially if imported into other countries without their 

 natural enemies. 



