70 Indian Insect Pests. [Vol. I. 



" Crickets. — Amongst minor insect pests may be noticed uchchuingra ( or crickets), 

 which sometimes do damage in seasons of drought. These insects burrow in the ground 

 and uproot the seedlings or destroy them by cutting through their roots. They disap- 

 pear, as soon as a heavy shower of rain falls, and are not seen again for the rest of the 

 season. If the drought, which is generally supposed to be the sole cause of the attack, be 

 protracted, the pest sometimes does such serious injury that the fields have to be re- 

 ploughed and sown with fresh seeds ; this, however, rarely happens. 



" Java or hoisting. — In seasons of protracted drought the aus paddy, and sometimes 

 the jute plants, are visited by a kind of blight which is known in Basirhat, as Java or 

 twisting. This blight warps and twists the leaves and shoots of the paddy and jute 

 plants, and thus arrests natural growth. The cultivators consider it to be a ' visi- 

 tation of nature ' and take no steps to remove it." 



In a report (dated December 1888), received through the Director of 

 Land Records and Agriculture, Bengal, the Deputy 

 Collector of Jungipore (Murshidabad), reports on 

 the following insects which have at different times proved injurious : — 



" 1. Korapoka — a white insect about an inch in length that lives under ground, and 

 destroys the roots of paddy seedlings, wheat and rabi crops. 



" 2. An insect which ' appears on the leaves of rabi plants, when southern winds 

 blow in the winter season, and dies away when the western winds blow.' 



" 3. An insect that appears before the paddy is ripe, in Barh tracts, and cuts the 

 leaves ; it is also found in jute and Jcalai fields. 



" 4. Gandhi poka — which resembles a large gnat in size and appearance, sucks the 

 juice of young paddy. 



" 5. Bajarmari — is black in colour and resembles No. 4 ; it appears in years of high 

 floods and completely destroys paddy plants. 



" 6. Bamani insect — a round black insect of the size of a large pea ; has similar 

 habits to those of No. 5. 



" 7. Faring fly, with black body and red ' face,' attack paddy blades ; when 

 numerous they also destroy other plants and trees." 



The following is taken from a report, 1 dated 16th November 1888, 



' , , by Baboo Adhar Kali Mukeriee, to the Deputy 



A Hazanbagh report. J . . J r J 



Commissioner or Hazanbagh, forwarded by the 



Director of Land Records and Agriculture, Bengal : — 



" A caterpillar, due to excess of rain, which attacks the roots of moJcai when the 

 plants are from 4 to 6 inches high. 



" A small green insect, due to excess of rain, that eats the stalks and leaves of 

 mokai. 



" Gonderpilna, a pest due to excess of rain, that eats the stalks and leaves of mokai. 



" Two species of insects, one being a kind of fly, and the other known as Chilna, 

 which are due to excess of rain, and which suck the undeveloped seeds of martca, 

 leaving only the husks. 



" Balwa, a grub that eats up the young plants of urid. 



"A green insect, due to excess of rain, which cuts the plants of urid when they are 

 3 or 4 inches high. 



1 In this report the same insect seems, in several instances, to have been described more 

 than once. 



