Jfo, L] Rhopalocera. 11 



the head very square and blunt^ the eyes dark brown, but no other mark- 

 ings, the body quite plain and smooth throughout. 



The Tehsildar says that this insect does " great damage to the paddy 



T^ £^r, ^ plants/' I am inclined somewhat to doubt this 



Damage of the pest. n . mu u .^ « • "U 



tact, ihe buttertly is by no means a common 



one, and, as the paddy is growing for a part of the year only, the butter- 

 fly has a chance of perpetuating its race only by living on some other 

 plants but paddy, as, when the latter is reaped, the insects living upon 

 it, no matter in which stage, e^gy larva or pupa, would be certainly de- 

 stroyed. Any butterflies that might be on the wing would escape cer- 

 tainly, but they probably live but for a short time, certainly not till the 

 next season's paddy has commenced to grow, so their only chance of 

 perpetuating the race would be to lay their eggs on some other plant, 

 which would almost certainly be difficult to find in suitable quantities. I 

 think, therefore, except under most exceptional circumstances, the damao-e 

 done to the growing rice would be but trifling, especially as it appears to 

 eat the leaves only. 



Hand-picking might be resorted to to destroy the pest, but would 

 . probably be too expensive. Both larva and pupa 



could be easily found, as they spin several of the 

 paddy stems and leaves together to form their shelters. The simplest way 

 to destroy the pest, and which would be absolutely effectual, would be to 

 raise the earthen walls, or bunds, round the affected nurseries or fields, 

 and submerge the rice under water for a short time. In no stage (except 

 perhaps the Q^g) could the insect survive this drowning process^ and it 

 would do no harm to the rice. 



A Ceylon Cardamom: Pest (Lampirl es elpis jGodart). 



Plate I, Jiff. 5, a,, male imago ; Jig, Syh, larva ; fig. 5, c, cardamom capsules^ two of 

 which have been punctured by the larvce, — all natural size. 



Two reports only have been received regarding this pest. The first 

 report is contained in a pamphlet entitled '* Note 

 on Cardamom Cultivation," by Mr. T. C. Owen 

 (Colombo, A. M. and J. Pergason, 1883), who notes — 



** Of the enemies which attack cardamoms the most serious is an insect which 

 bores a circular hole in the capsules and cleans out the inside ; young plantations seem 

 much more liable to this pest than older ones. In the former case as much as 80 to 90 

 per cent, will sometimes be attackedand destroyed in this way ; proximity to patana 

 seems also the cause of increased liability to these attacks. Applications of wood-ash, 

 lime, or anything of a like nature, are said to be beneficial." 



Mr. Owen failed to identify the insect which does the damage, and it 

 has remained unknown till quite recently, when Mr. E. Ernest Green, 

 of the Eton Estate, Pundul-03^a, Ceylon, found a full-grown larva inside 

 a capsule, and, on breeding it, found it to be Lampides elpis, Godart, a 



