I 4 2 



FAMILY BOSTRYCHIDAE 



NORTH COIMBATORE, 24 August 1899. A series of experiments were conducted in the 

 Satyamangalam Depot at the foot of the Ootacamund Hills. During each week of the month 

 one head load of twenty-five bamboos of two kinds (dry solid bamboos known as "Karanai" 

 and green hollow bamboos known as " Varar") were set aside and marked. It was observed 

 that dry bamboos appeared to withstand the attacks of the borers better than the green. In 

 every case the insects attacked the bamboos in the inside of the bundle first, i.e. those not 

 exposed to light. This is a general rule amongst these boring beetles, who very generally, 

 although by no means always, attack in the shade in preference to strong light. 



As a result of the experiments conducted here it was held that the phases of the moon had 

 no effect on the felling season. It was noted, however, that bamboos exposed to light and air 

 are less liable to attack than those not so exposed. 



SOUTH COIMBATORE, 18 February 1899 ami i November 1899. A series of experi- 

 ments were made on two occasions at Mount Stuart, one from 2 August to i September 

 1898, and the second from 10 March to 12 April 1899. On each occasion ten large bamboos 

 ; Hambitsa arundinacea) and ten small (Dendrocalamus strict us) were cut daily. Each 

 bundle of ten was labelled, and the bundles were all laid out in a row. Those cut on 

 the first occasion were examined one by one on 2 February 1899, with the result that 

 the influence of the different phases of the moon did not appear to have any bearing 

 upon the presence or absence of the borers. On the second occasion one-half of the 

 length of each bundle was covered with mats, the other being left uncovered. This was done 

 in order to observe the effects of shade as a protective influence or otherwise to the bamboos. 

 The bamboos so treated were examined at the beginning of October. It was found that 

 the portions of the bamboos covered over by the mats had at work in them double the 

 number of boring insects that were to be found in the uncovered portions. Thus the insects 

 attacked bamboos stacked in the shade twice as heavily as those stacked under the full rays 

 of the sun. 



The following were the percentages of attack observed in the case of the two species of 

 bamboos experimented with : 



It will be noted from the above that the percentage of attack in the case of Bambusa 

 arundinacea varies considerably, being much higher in the case of the bamboos cut in August 

 than in the case of those cut in March-April. In the case of Dendrocalamus slrictiis, 

 however, the percentage of attack differs but little, the increase inclining to those cut in the 

 spring months of the year. To be conclusive, further experiments with a larger number of 

 bamboos should be carried out in this Division. 



SOUTH MALABAR, 4 October 1899. A series f experiments were made from 2 August 

 1898 to 7 April 1899, both at the full moon and new moon periods. On each occasion a 

 bundle of twenty-five bamboos was soaked in mud and water, whilst a second bundle was 

 merely stacked. The experiments seemed to show that neither the soaking nor felling at any 

 particular phase of the moon had any marked effect in preserving the bamboos from the 

 attacks of the borers. It was noted, however, that the bamboos felled during the months of 

 January, February, and March were not attacked by the borers, stacked bamboos felled at 

 other periods being invariably attacked. 



