71 



in the Solomon Islands tobacco and soap wash is shaken into the 

 still unfolded leaves. 



Preuss recommends the use of nitrogenous fertilizers to help 

 trees to resist the attack. The only way, however, found successful 

 is the cutting away of all affected leaves and burning them together 

 with the insects. This method has been successfully employed on 

 several estates where the trees are periodically found affected. 



Hidari irava and Erionota thrax. — These two butterflies are the 

 coconut skippers of the family Hesperiidee. 



They are very much alike both in appearance and their method 

 of attack. I shall not give any description. 



The result of a bad attack, when very many caterpillars are 

 feeding, is that all the tissue of the leaflets, except the midrib and 

 perhaps patches of soft tissue here and there, is eaten away. 

 Almost all the green soft parts of hanging leaves, in fact all leaves 

 except those which are still erect, have been observed to be 

 thoroughly eaten until only a skeleton remained. 



The life history of these butterflies is short, from six to eight 

 weeks. It appears that the pests are quickly parasitized as I have no 

 record of a single instance of this pest remaining after the second brood. 

 The best remedial measures, when practicable, are the catching of 

 the butterflies and picking off and collecting the cocoons. Spi'aying 

 or. any other remedial measures have not been found necessary. 



Thosea cinereomarginata. — The larva of this moth is a green 

 slug-like caterpillar recognized by having along each side of the 

 body a row of spinous tubercles. Pupation takes place in a hard 

 oval cocoon which opens at one end in a distinct lid for the 

 emergence of the imago. These cocoons are commonly found 

 attached to the under side of leaves of palms. 



The larvse of this pest eat the softer parts of leaflets until as in 

 the case of the skippers mentioned above only the midrib is left. I 

 have seen groups of palms tempoi-arily seriously affected but in this 

 case again I have never thought it necessary to apply remedial 

 measures. 



Mahasena sp. — This moth is not a serious pest, and has not been 

 observed to attack more than foiu' or five palms in a group. Only 

 young plants are affected, the larvae or caterpillars live in cases made 

 up of bits of leaves woven together with silk. The case is carried 

 about on the trees by the insect whose head only appears. Only the 

 male insect attains the perfect or imago stage. The female lays her 

 eggs in her case and gradually shrinks up, as the eggs fill the lower 

 half of the case. The eggs hatch and the larvae make their own 

 little cases. The old female cases must be carried by wind or other 

 agency to palms, but little appeal's to be known about his part of 

 the life history. 



