1 0-fc Indian Economic Entomology. [ "Vol, I, 



underground in the day-time. The caterpillar that was received trans- 

 formed into a pup aon 17th May and emerged as a moth on 28th of 

 the same month. Some of the London purple, sent to the Indian 

 Museum for experiment by Messrs. Heminway & Co., of 60, Mark Lane, 

 London, has been forwarded to Kurseong for experiment with this pest. 

 Specimens of a caterpillar known locally as Janga purugu were 

 received on 29th January 1889 from the Super- 

 intendent of the Government Central Museum, 

 Madras, with the information that the insect caused a considerable 

 amount of damage to castor-oil plants in the Madras Presidency. 



The caterpillars were found to be larva? of the Noctues moth Achaa 

 melicerte of Drury (Catalogue of the Moths of India by Cotes and 

 Swinhoe, p. 402, No. 2624). This moth is common in all parts of India, 

 besides occurring in Ceylon, Celebes, and Australia. It has been found 

 feeding on castor oil, both in Ceylon and in Calcutta, and on Okrar dhal 

 in Dehra Dun. The insect, being a leaf feeder, can probably easily 

 be destroyed by spraying an insecticide, such as London purple, over the 

 affected plants. 



A small supply of the London purple that was sent to the Indian 

 Museum for experiment by Messrs. Hemingway & Co., of London, and. 

 also a force pump, similarly sent for experiment by Messrs. Rumsey & 

 Co., of New York, have been forwarded to the Superintendent of the 

 Madras Museum, who has undertaken to have them experimented with 

 and reported upon in connection with this pest. When the report is 

 received it will be published in Indian Museum Notes. 



The following is a letter, dated Ranchi, 30th August 1888, from 

 Mr. E. W. Collins; it was forwarded to the Mu- 

 seum through the Department of Land Records 

 and Agriculture, Bengal : — 



" I have the honor to forward by post a few specimens of the chrysalis of a 

 moth of which the grubs were found in large numbers in the gardens about here, feed- 

 ing on all kinds of garden plants, particularly on the leaves of gourd. They were first 

 found in tbe middle of July, — that is, about a fortnight after the first fall of rain late 

 in June. I found dense masses of these caterpillars, which were then very minute and 

 of greyish color, on the tops of full-sized gourd leaves on which they were voraciously 

 feeding. I cannot say that the damage done by the caterpillars to the gourd plants 

 was in any way great or even appreciable ; but I believe that the damage would have 

 been greater and made itself felt but for the heavy shower which followed and evi- 

 dently dispersed or washed away the grubs. As the grubs were, howevei', very 

 numerous and a source of great nuisance, some entomological interest might attach to 

 the insect, and it is in this hope that I have thought fit to forward a few chrysalides 

 for identification. 



" On discovering the caterpillars, I took up a few of them and reared them in an 

 earthenware pot on fresh gourd leaves, which wei-e given them to eat every day- 

 From being tiny, grey worms, they gradually increased in size, till they became about 

 ly" long, yellow in color, with a black band behind their mouth, and covered with black 



