TROCEEDINGS OF THE THIRD ENTOMOLOGICAL MEETING 



451 



found parasitized by Microhracon lefroyi whilst feeding on seeds within 

 the capsules of Hibiscus abelmoschus. 



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

 32 days according to the time of the year. 



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 larvae 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 larvae pierce more bolls 

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

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

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

 period corresponds with the rainy months, 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 larvae 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 

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

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

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

 get shrivelled and soon become discoloured. If such are cut open they are 

 found 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 its uniformity and strength. 



