THE AGRICULTURAL PESTS OF INDIA. 27 



melida (Decaisne). According to M. Guibourt, it is 

 also developed on the buds of the tree which is com- 

 monly called in Japan, Ou-pey-tse, Ou-pei-tse, Woo-pei- 

 tse. Some galls are useful. False gal]s are found on the 

 Pistacia vera, P. terebintha, and the P. lentiscus. The 

 insect which produces them is the Aphis pistacise, Linn., 

 a small black insect, with a roughened thorax, very long 

 legs, and white wings. A species of aphis attacks the 

 cotton plant in India. Aphides are readily destroyed 

 by water charged with metallic iron. The food of the 

 Coccinellce, lady - birds, consists almost exclusively of 

 aphides. Other aphidivorous insects are numerous 

 minute Hymenoptera, species of the families Cynipidse, 

 Ichneumonidse, and Chalcididas; and among the Neuroptera, 

 species of Chrysopa or golden eyes. On the mango, 

 peach, and other trees of the Calcutta gardens, there is 

 to be seen the sweetish substance known as honey-dew, 

 supposed to be an excrementitious deposit from aphides. 

 To remove it, syringing with water, or soft soap and 

 water, is recommended. Ants eat this honey-dew. The 

 aphides, when in large numbers, injure .young shoots and 

 twigs. A very pretty little one is found in Kamaon on 

 the ' dabree ' tree. They excrete a white substance of a 

 sweet taste, which cakes on the leaves. Another aphis 

 is found on the sal or Shorea robusta. 



Aphis coffeee, the coffee louse, is found in small com- 

 munities on the young shoots and on the underside of 

 the leaves of the cocoa-nut tree, but occasions little injury. 



The t'hela disease is caused by the Aphis lanigera, a 

 viviparous wingless parasite, with a flask-shaped body, 

 six feet, two antennae, two tubes at abdominal extremity, 

 a haustellum for puncturing, and a sucker for extracting, 

 and within this transparent sucker a perfect apparatus 



