Butterflies and Moths as Botanists. 135 
one just impo:ted. Whether we call it chance or accident the result is the same + 
the discovery has been made and a new pest has to be recorded. 
That such has been the case in the past is quite certain. Our canes, coffee, 
cotton and a host of other economic plants have been imported from distant 
countries. Ina very few cases the native pest has also been introduced ; perhaps 
the small moth-borer was distributed with the canes. Such is not however 
common, for example, a hawk-moth is said to feed on the mango in India, but it 
has not yet appeared in America. Our economic pests have mainly come from 
forest and savannah, leaving their original food plants to at least partially live 
on the new-comers. We may safely state that they discove ed them, and 
finding them more juicy and luscious than the wildings became more or less 
dangerous pests. 
What has happened once may happen again. Other moths and butterflies 
may at any time discover our canes and bananas and become as much pests as 
the Castnia. What then can wedo? The only course is to study carefully the 
habits of all insects so that if such an inroad takes place we may be fitted to 
deal with it at once. No cane planter of to-day can afford to talk of “ the blast ” 
as the Barbadian did a hundred and fifty years ago or to wonder why his canes 
fail. He should know why and if possible how to fight the plague. 
