Tho followiupf snporfieial dosoriptii^n. Avliich will l>e suffioient to 

 ideutifv the pest when it occurs elscwbere. was taken <lowii when 

 the insects were received : 



" General colour aliove lilack, minutely spc^tted and lined with 

 wliite, sides with a brit;ht yellow, Avaved line, starting froni. just behind 

 the third pair of legs and continuing to the tail. There are some 

 conspicuous white spots on the shoulders and on the last segment but 

 one of the body. Head and legs bright reddish l^rown, prolegs blaclc, 

 largelv spotted with pale reddish brown; beneath black largely sjiotted 

 witli dull yellow. 'JMio largest spor-imeu was some inch and a half 

 in length." 



In both cases the fields attacked were next to some young secondary 

 jungle, or hluhi, and the caterpillars were also found numerously on 

 much of the vegetation composing it. 



The remedy I proposed in both instances was the well-known one 

 of poisoning the leaves by sj^-ayiug them with water containing Paris 

 green held in suspension, and the Museum spraying apparatus was 

 lent for the purpose. It was reported tliat the treatment was quite 

 effective and rapidly killed the pest. 



It may be mentioned here, as a good deal of misapprehension exists, 

 that this poison acts by being eaten with the natural food of the 

 insect— that is the leaf. Consequently it is necessary in applying it to 

 mix with the water some substance which will make it adhere to the 

 leaves. Otherwise, when they become dry, the powder wull fall off, or 

 at any rate the first shower of rain will wash the leaves quite clean. 

 The material I have found effective is a paste made with flour, or some 

 other form of starch, which has been well boiled. A small quantity of 

 this mixed with the water serves to fix the poison to the leaves suffi- 

 cientlv firm to withstand the rain. 



The mere contact of the poison with the body of the insect has no 

 effect, it must reach the organs of digestion and be absorbed before 

 it becomes operative. The object of spraying is, therefore, to deposit 

 a film of poison on the leaves which will sulisequently be consumed by 

 the leaf -eating pest which it is wished to destroy. 



Recently considerable damage has been done to some young rubber 

 trees at Lauderdale Estate, Matang, by the attacks of a green leaf-eat- 

 ing weevil, which I identified as Astycvs chrysochlorns, Wied. 



In 1897 this same Ijeetle did a very large amount of damage to 

 many acres of Lil:)erian coffee at Gapis Estate ; and at the request of 

 Sir W. H. Treacher I worked out its life history. The report, which 

 was dated 27th July, 1897, was published in " Perak Museum Notes," 



