PROCEEDINGS OF THE THIRD ENTOMOLOGICAL MEETING it 



^aper on a crop-pest, for example, might be placed under Agricultural 

 Entomology or may deal with its life-history or systematics in which 

 cases it could equally well be placed under these other sections. 



The first Section includes especially papers on Agricultural Entomo- 

 logy and we commence with an annotated hst of general crop-pests 

 followed by a paper on fruit-pests, both of which might be taken to- 

 gether to save time. There are two ways of discussing crop-pests, 

 one by taking each crop separate'y and going over its pests, the 

 other by taking the insects themselves one by one in systematic order 

 and going over their distribution, occurrence on various foodplants and 

 control. At our last Meeting we went over our pest-hst by crops. At 

 this Meeting we will do it the other way and consider each insect sepa- 

 rately. We have prepared lists of these insects in systematic order and 

 have summarized our information up to date. We shall thus indicate 

 briefly what is known about each insect and you will be able to tell us 

 any further facts. To facihtate matters I have had a series of the insects 

 concerned put together so that if there is any doubt regarding the insect 

 referred to you can refer to the specimens exhibited to make sure v/hat 

 is meant. I must say, however, that I am quite unable to define what is 

 a crop or what is a pest. Many plants, regarded as useless in some 

 districts, are in others prized or even cultivated for their products. Ber 

 (Zizypkus jujuha) is one. In most parts of the Plains it grows wild, but 

 in some districts it is used extensively for growing lac or is cultivated for 

 its fruits, and in such cases any insect attacking it and reducing its 

 vigour must be looked on as a pest. Again, some insects are pests in 

 some districts and not in others. Margaronia ccesalis is a case in point. 

 In Southern India and Assam it is a pest of jak {Artocarpus integrijolia), 

 but here at Pusa, where there are many jak trees and it occurs, it has 

 never been noted to attack jak at all. Then there are the potential 

 pests, to which I called youx attention at the last Meeting, quoting 

 Prays citri as an example. Another example is Dacus olecB, the destruc- 

 tive Ohve Fruit-fly of the Mediterranean Region ; we know that it 

 occurs in Noith-Western India and that it is hkely to prove a serious 

 menace to the budding ohve-growing industry in Kashmir and the North- 

 West Frontier Province, although we do not as yet know of its having 

 attacked cultivated olives. Yet another class of insects which would be 

 refused admission to the pest-hst by some people are those which have 

 never actually been reported as doing damage. But it must be remem- 

 bered that, in a country hke India, it is comparatively rarely 

 that any damage by insect pests is reported. Serious damage may be 

 done for years without ever coming to the notice of the entomological 

 stafis. Gracillmia zaclirysa, for example, occurs throughout the North- 



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