189 Indian Museum Notes. [Vol. IV. 



Museum through the Director, Land Records and Agriculture, Panjab, 

 from the Settlement Officer, Jhelum district, as doing great damage 

 to wheat in a small area in the north of Tabsil Chakwal, 



This insect has been previously referred to in the pages of these 

 Notes as doing a great deal of injury to agricultural crops in several 

 parts of India. It has been reported [a] as attacking the seedlings 

 of the poppy plants in Gazipur ; {b) attacking wheat and gram 

 crops in the North-Western Provinces ; and [c) attacking rabi cropg 

 in Behar. 



The following report has been furnished by the Settlement 

 Officer :— 



"Herewith specimens of an insect which has done great damage to the 

 sprouting ^vheat in a small area in the north of Tahsil Cbakwal ; I have seen some 

 of the fields damaged which have been sown and re-sown twice or thrice with the 

 same result : the insect feeds on the part of the young plants above the surface 

 of the ground, in the day-time it burrows into the soil (here light and friable), and 

 the zamindars say, attacks the roots of the plants also. The pest is quite new to 

 every one in these parts, and I should be glad to know if you can obtain the in- 

 formation, what the insect is, and what can be done to destroy it, should it appear 

 on larofe numbers." 



a. Chrysomelid beetle, — In August 1897, a single specimen of 

 a beetle was received in the Indian Museum from the Sub-Divisional 

 Officer, Barasut, with a report that it had damaged the aus paddy 

 crop at Kizipore in the Barasut Division. 



The insect is a Chrysomelid beetle, of the genus Pachmephorus ? 

 and is new to the Museum Collection. It is locally called 

 "Majra." Further specimens are required to enable the insect 

 to be precisely determined. 



b, Nociues moth.'^l^ September 1897, some specimens of an 

 immature larvae of a Noctues moth were received in the Indian 

 Museum, through the Director, Land Records and Agriculture, 

 Bengal, from the Commissioner of the Orissa Division, Cuttack, as in- 

 juring the paddy crop in the Bhudrack sub-division, where the insect 

 is called " Dhali-poka.'' 



The specimens forwarded are insufficient for precise identifi- 

 cation. 



