ON SOME ANIMAL PESTS OP THE HEVEA RUBBER 



TREE. 



By E. ERNEST GREEN, F.E.S., F.Z.S. 

 Late Government Entomologist, Ceylon. 



I PROPOSE in this paper to confine my remarks to the 

 animal pests of the Hevea rubber tree, but of these I 

 can speak (from actual experience) of such only as occur 

 in Ceylon, where, during a residence of over thirty years, 

 I turned my attention to entomology in general and 

 economic entomology in particular. 



The plantation rubber industry is one of comparatively 

 recent development. In Ceylon there are few rubber 

 plantations of over ten years' standing, and I think that 

 I am correct in stating that Ceylon planters were among 

 the first if not the first to give serious attention to the 

 systematic cultivation of this product. 



General experience teaches us that an introduced plant, 

 and especially one that may be described as a forest tree, 

 usually commences its career free from pests of any kind, 

 unless such have been introduced with it. But gradually, 

 as time goes on, it acquires a fresh series of enemies, the 

 number of which is likely to increase year by year. 

 Certain insects that are more or less omnivorous will be 

 the first to attack the new plant. Others that have been 

 subsisting upon allied plants of older standing in the 

 country will find that the newcomer will serve their 

 requirements equally well, and possibly better, inasmuch 

 as they will tap a large source of food supply with few 

 rivals in the field. A species that may have been of no 

 economic importance in its original habitat may, under 

 the stimulus of new and favourable conditions, develop 

 into a serious pest. It is this possibility that makes it 

 dangerous to neglect any pest, however trivial it may 

 appear to be at the time. 



I think there is no doubt that tlie Hevea tree is 



