10 Tke Tea insects of India. 



month. Mr. Green, however, notices thstt he has found moths at several 

 otlier times of the year in Ceylon, so it would appear that the insect doos 

 not invariably emerge in February. The European species Cossus ligni- 

 perda, Fair., which belongs to the same family, is said to sjiend as 

 mucli as three j-ears in the larval stage, and it is not unlikely th.'it 

 Zeuzera coffe<e will prove to be nearly equally slow in development, 

 though, as a geneml rule, insects develop more rapidly in India than in 

 Kurope. 



With regard to remedies, cutting out infested stems seems to be the 

 most promising treatment that has been suggested, though the damage 

 occasioned appears to be seldom sufhcient 1o make this worth while. In 

 the case of coffee bushf^s Dr. Bidie remarks {Rej)ort on the ravages of the 

 lorer in coffee estates, Madras, 1867):—'' If not much injured, the exter- 

 nal opening should be closed with a wooden peg, which causes the death 

 of the borer, and the tree will then in all probability recover." Squirting 

 kerosine oil into the hole or hooking the grub out with a barbed wire 

 would also be likely to be effective in cases where the trouble was worth 

 taking, 



NoTODONTID^. 



Lobster caterpillars. 



Stauropus alternus, Walker. The cattn-pilhir of this species 

 has been recorded by Green as occasionally feeding on the leaves of the 

 tea plant in Ceylon. It has also been noticed as feeding en cocoa and 

 Cassia fistula. As in the case of other members of the same family, 

 the caterpillars are curious hump-backed creatures with long legs, 

 famber notices that they are found in Darjiling, and as the species 

 is one that occurs throughout India, besides inhiibitii g Cejdon, it may 

 appropriately be included in the present report. 



