80 Indian Insect Fests. [ Vol. L 



The caterpillars, however, prevailed over a much larger area, the 

 more westerly forests in the plains of the Eastern Dooars suffering the 

 most. Other trees were also attacked, especially Gareya arborea, and even 

 the tea plants of a garden which had lately been opened out in the neigh- 

 bourhood of the forest. From some of the villagers Mr. Fisher also 

 learnt that there had been similar attacks of caterpillars within their 

 memory. 



Mr. Fisher observed that a large portion of the Sidli forests escaped 

 damage, and that elsewhere patches where the forest growth was densest 

 and finest, and probably the soil and air dampest, had also escaped, while 

 in forests of more scattered growth, and where trees had been damaged 

 by jungle fires, the leaves were all stripped off. This, Mr. Fisher thinks, 

 may perhaps have been due to the inability of the caterpillar to feed 

 upon leaves full of strong acrid juice which would be found in the more 

 vigorous portions of the forest. 



The insect belongs to the Bombyces moths of the family Liparidae 

 The insect, and its life ^^^ ^^s been described ' by Mr. Moore as DasT/- 

 history. ckira tktoaitesii. 



The caterpillars, when full-fed, are about li to 2 inches long, covered 

 all over with long, erect, yellow hairs, a thick bunch of which occurs on 

 the dorsal aspect of each of the first four segments of the abdomen, and 

 also on the terminal segment ; there is a black transverse stripe between 

 the two anterior dorsal tufts. 



After it is full-fed the caterpillar spins itself up between the leaves of 

 its food -plant, into a scanty cocoon, composed of its own hairs, which 

 appear to be very easily detached, and which it binds together with silk. 

 After almost completely denuding itself of hairs to form the cocoon in 

 which it encloses itself, the caterpillar creeps out of its larval skin and 

 becomes a pupa. In the case of the February generation, which was the 

 one that was kept under observation, the insect remained in the pupal 

 state for rather less than a fortnight. The most noticeable feature 

 about the moth is the difference between the sexes, the male being very 

 much smaller and more brightly coloured than the female. 



Mr. Moore describes the moth as follows : — 



" Male : fore wing, greyish white, crossed by a basal, antemedial, and a post 

 medial, indistinct, black speckled sinuous duplex line, and a marginal side line, a 

 lunular mark at the end of the cell, the lines slightly dilated at the costal end ; hind 

 wing, pale brown, the costal border and the cilia, greyish- white ; thorax, head, palpi 

 and legs, greyish-white ; abdomen, pale brown ; thorax, slightly brown speckled ; 

 sides of head and palpi, blackish, legs with black spots ; antennse ochreous brown, shaft 

 white. 



*' Female : fore wing greyish-white, irrorated with numerous brown scales, the trans- 

 verse sinuous lines much less defined, being mostly apparent at the costal end and 

 composed of scattered brown scales ; hind wing white, with a few brown scales from 



' Lepidoptera, Ceylon, Vol. II, p. 98. 



