No. 1.1 Notes on insect pests from the Entomological Section. 21 



The chief crops it attacks are jowar, bajri, moth, masina, sugarcane and 

 others. It wholly devours the foliage of the plants. It eats the shoots of the 

 bajra crop in such a way as to leave no grain in them. 



It generally eats the jowar and bajra crops whose leaves are long. The 

 majority of these insects is found at present in the bajra fields and in others, not 

 so much .... 



When young this insect dies by the abundance of rain. As it did not rain 

 heavily this year, the insect did not decrease .... 



It is said that at the commencement of the winter season, these insects natur- 

 ally die away. 



Some eye-witnesses say that this insect casts off scales like the snakes. When 

 it casts off the covering it is of yellow colour. It also casts off the wings and then 

 gets new wings afterwards. From the specimens it will be seen that the wings 

 are proportionately smaller than the body. This show? that new wings are grow- 

 ing out. Some have larger wings. 



Those who have smaller wings can hop for three or four feet. The more it 

 moves backward to hop, the more it leaps forward, and thus it can go from one 

 field to another .... 



Those who have wings cannot fly more than forty or fifty feet at a time. 



The length of the insect is from two to three fingers or more or less. Some of 

 the zemindars say that there are even larger and winged insects of this kind to be 

 found in the fields, which cannot be got hold of. These insects were never found 

 in such large numbers before as this year. " 



THE SORGHUM BORER MOTH. 

 Chilo simplex, Butl. 



Chilo simplex, Butl., P. Z. S., 1880, p. 690. 



Crambus gonellus, Swinh. P. Z. S., 1884, p. 528, pi. 48, fig. 16; 

 C. & S. No. 4703. 



Crambus partellus, Swinh. P. Z. S. } 1885, p. 879; C. & S. 

 No. 4700. 



During the year 1898 the Sorghum borer was exceedingly abun- 

 dant in the Central Provinces. Samples of juar {Sorghum vulgare) 

 stems affected by it were repeatedly forwarded to the Indian Museum 

 through Dr. G. Watt, Reporter on Economic Products to the Govern- 

 ment of India, from Seoni, Chappara, Central Provinces. 



Half-grown caterpillars taken out of juar stalks that had become 

 dry and useless, were reared in sugarcane ; they seemed none the 

 worse for the change of the food plant, but very readily tunnelled into 

 it, and in due time as many as a dozen moths were obtained. These 



