20 Indian Insect Pests, [Vol. L 



though a good many were killed, a good many survived— the greater number I think. 

 I am now trying neem leaves, and I am inclined to think it will answer, but will let 

 you know when sufficient time has elapsed to test the question," 



^, .,. „ The Director of Land Records and Agriculture, 



The weevil in Burma. . o ^ 



Burma, writes — 



" In Lower Burma the Burmans do not, as a rule, keep clean rice for long. But 

 in Upper Burma it is largely stored. The merchants " (in Mandalay) "told me that 

 they suffered great loss from weevils and would gladly try any insecticide that Govern- 

 ment recommended. The rice is usually kept in gunny bags containing 225 lb of 

 rice each." 



A series of reports on weevil in unhusked rice has been received from 

 the Director of Land Records and Agriculture in Burma. 



The reports are in the form of extracts from letters from Messrs. 

 Bullock, Brothers & Co., and the Deputy Commissioners of the following 

 places, Hanthawaddy, Prome, Pegu, Bassein, Irrawaddy, and Thongwa. 

 It seemes unnecessary to give the reports in full, but, while some of them 

 notice damage in unhusked rice by weevils, the majority of them may be 

 summed up in the words of the Deputy Commissoner of Pegu, who 

 writes ; — 



•' Weevils do not do any appreciable damage to paddy, apparently because the outer 

 husk is very hard. When rice is stored for some time after being husked, weevils 

 attack it, but the Burmans are not in the habit of storing husked rice. They do not 

 want any insecticides." 



This agrees with experiace in Bengal, and it would seem probable 

 that in the cases when unhussed rice is attacked by insects, the damage 

 is done by a species of grain-moth, which is often to be found in large 

 numbers, and not by the weevil, which only attacks the rice after the 

 removal of the husk. 



The weevilling of rice iv/r tj tvt o -l 



iu England. ^^' "-• -'**■• ^^^^S writes — 



" You will'recollect that I promised to ascertain what I could for you concerning the 

 weevilling of rice in warehouses at home. My correspondent writes as follows: — ' Of the 

 dock gentlemer^and wharfingers to whom I spoke, many refused to admit that rice wee- 

 villed at all — and getting statistics on the subject I found to be totally out of the ques- 

 tion, as none exist. However, the more experienced allow that in damp weather rice 

 does weevil to a certain extent, but it is under 1 per cent, per annum (i. e. the loss in 

 weight from weevilling). One instance I had given me where the rice had been ware- 

 housed for four years and there was absolutely no sign of weevilling whatever '." 



Note, — This ilhistrates how susceptible the weevil is to cold, for how- 

 ever clean the rice may be when it is put on board iu Calcutta, at least a 

 few weevils are almost always to be found in it, and these, under the con- 

 ditions of the Calcutta climate, would very soon affect the whole ship- 

 ment. Miss Ormerod has observed what a slow and difficult process it is 



