fROCEEDl>'GS OF THE THIRD ENTOMOLOGICAL MEETING 451 



found parasitized by Microhracon lefroyi whilst feeding on seeds within 

 the capsules oi Hibiscus abehnoschus. 



At Pusa the life-history of E.fabia has been fonnd to last from 21 to 

 32 days according to the time of the year. 



(1) Eggs laid Stli April 1916. 



Eggs hatched .... 11th April 1916. 



Larvse pupated .... 20th, 21st and 22nd April 1916. 



Adult emerged .... 27th April 1916. 



Total 19 to 21 days. 



(2) Eggs laid 14th September 1915. 



Eggs hatched .... 17th September 1915. 



Pupated 7th October 1915. 



Adult emerged . . ... 15th, 16th October 1915 



Total 31 to 32 days. 



To mark the moults, etc., the larvae after hatching were fed on the 

 petals in glass dishes so as to enable one to make observations on their 

 habits, time of moulting, etc. In the fields the larvse prefer to burrow 

 into the bolls or buds (both leaf and flower) and, if these are not avail- 

 able then, they go into the top-shoots, which wither soon after affecta- 

 tion. These become very withered and thereby become conspicuous 

 •in the fields. Such tops are especially abundant in the beginning of the 

 cotton season when no bolls are present on the plants and when the moths 

 after hibernation have started to breed. The larvse pierce more bolls 

 than they actually feed on. A larva may enter a capsule and, after 

 boring into it and nibbUng the seeds, leave it and move about in search 

 of another. This happens when the BoHworms are most active and this 

 period corresponds with the rainy mouths, when the rain water lodges 

 in the bolls and sets up decomposition. Such bolls soon rot and drop 

 down on to the ground. In some cases the larvse simply scratch the 

 outside rind of the capsule and thus facilitate penetration of other 

 bacterial and fungal diseases, of which the internal boll-disease so much 

 ■ coinplained of in the West Indies is one. We have found a very large 

 number of bolls falhng down prematurely, and suspect these to be 

 attacked with the internal boll-disease or some such cause. The bolls 

 get shi'ivelled and soon become discoloured. If such are cut open they are 

 foimd to be flaccid with the immature seeds within much shrivelled and 

 discoloured. The fall of an unusually large number of bolls makes this 

 aspect of the question worth further investigation. The worms not only 

 bore into the bolls, shoots and buds, but destroy the vitality of seeds of 

 a large number of bolls. The loss thus caused is far greater than the 

 actual destruction of the bolls. When the bolls are only partially affected 

 they open badly and the lint within loses iti tiniformity and strength. 



