BEETLE PEST ON THE GAPIS ESTATE. 65 



indica; Durian, Durio zihethirms ; Guava, Psidium pyriferum ; 

 Hibiscus of various ciiltivated species ; Lime, Citrus limetta ; 

 Mango, Mangifera indica ; Matchang, Mangifera faetida ; 

 Orange, Citrus aurantium ; Shaddock, Citrus decumana ; Wild 

 Silk -cotton, Bombax insigne var. lartdensis. 



This list, which could be extended to four or five times the 

 number of species, will probably be sufficient to shew how futile 

 any attempt to lessen the numbers of the pest by destroying its 

 food plants would prove. 



The food of the grub would appear, from the situations in 

 which it is found, to be decayed fragments of roots, leaves and 

 other vegetable matter which occur in ordinary surface soil. 

 This was subsequently confirmed by experiments. They were 

 successfully reared in pots of earth with no growing plants in 

 them. It may therefore be confidently stated that they do not 

 eat living roots, and consequently do no harm to the crop 

 growing in the affected land. They do not like wet land, but 

 prefer bare, that is weedless soil of loose texture. 



As previously mentioned I collected some beetles and grubs 

 on the r2tli and 13th February, and took them to Taipiug for 

 observation. The former were put into glass jars, covered with 

 netting and fed on lime, orange, matchang and mango leaves. 

 They always evinced a very decided preference for young grow- 

 ing leaves. These beetles lived till the 18th May, when the last 

 two of them died. Of course there was no knowing what age 

 they were when caught, but they lived m captivity for over three 

 months, and altogether consumed a very large amount of leaf 

 during that time. 



The grubs were p\it into an earthernware chatty filled with 

 common garden mould, which was kept moist by watering 

 every few days, biit no plants were allowed to grow in it. 

 Several escaped through the hole in the bottom of the pot before 

 it was noticed that they could do this, but afterwards the hole 

 was closed with wax and the remaining ones were thus confined. 



On March 19th, one of the beetles came out of the pot of 

 earth in vvhieh the grubs had been put, and proved to be the 

 coffee pest. It was nearly black, but the green scales soon began 

 to shew, and in three or four days it assumed the colour and 

 appearance of the other beetles. It came out at night and was 

 noticed to begin eating on the second day (March 21st). On 

 April the 15th the beetle which came out on the 19th March, 

 and which was of the female sex, wa j found coupled with one of 

 the males. It would therefore appear that it takes twenty -eight 



