PREFACE. 



THE study of pests in India dates back twenty years to the 

 formation of the Entomological section of the Indian 

 Museum, the commencement of Indian Museum Notes, and 

 the publication of Surgeon- General Balfour's little volume, 

 " The Agricultural Pests of India." During this time a 

 continuous effort has been made to classify insects injurious 

 to crops, terminating with the work of the late Mr. L. 

 deNiceyille, the first Entomologist to the Government of India. 

 It has fallen to me to gather up these records, to supplement 

 them by observation in the field, and to put together briefly 

 what is known of Indian pests. 



To any one familiar with the scattered records of Indian 

 Museum Notes, such an tindertaking was a necessary pre- 

 liminary to further work and, above all, to the wider growth 

 of the study of insect pests. Eew observers have contributed 

 to our knowledge of insect pests in India, which is deplorable 

 in so vast a continent where so large a population is depen- 

 dent on agriculture. 



In the present volume I have tried to give a short 

 account of the general features of the lives of insects, as well 

 as the salient facts concerning our destructive pests. Those 

 who wish for technical accounts of the anatomy and classi- 

 fication of insects will find abundance of excellent books. 

 We are here more closely concerned with their living 

 activities and the part played by them in the reduction of 

 the yield of the staple crops of the country. 



I trust that the book may be of service to many who are 

 engaged in agriculture and horticulture. Insects are universal 

 and quite interesting as soon as one ceases to regard them as 

 mysteries. I cannot hope to emulate the living interest of 



