No. 1-] Notes on insect pests from the Entomological Section. 33 



The insect has previously been recorded as attacking teak in the 

 Rangoon district, vide Indian Museum Notes, Vol. Ill, No. 2, p. 94. 



The following notes have been furnished by Mr. R, S. Hole 

 regarding the pest : — 



" Full grown caterpillar is about f inches long, of a grayish to yellowish green 

 colour, dark above and lighter beneath. When young the caterpillar is alight 

 yellowish green ... 



" The caterpillars feed on the leaves of teak trees, devouring the leaf paren- 

 chyma but leaving the vascular tissue untouched, and in this district the cater- 

 pillar does a great deal of damage, principally during the rains, from June to 

 October. Teak trees on a whole hill-side may frequently be seen which are 

 absolutely defoliated. The caterpillar pupates on the back of the leaves 

 it has been feeding on, the pupa being kept in position in a hollow of the leaf 

 by a weft strung across it. I have watched the caterpillars making this, they 

 swinging their heads quickly from right to left and left to right as they attach the 

 thread on each side and draw it across to the other. The pupa falls to the ground 

 with the dead leaves, but I do not know where the eggs are laid 5 I fancy some- 

 where on the trees, for I have frequently seen very young caterpillars apparently 

 just out of the egg feeding on the leaves. I also fancy this insect must have two 

 generations in one year, for frequently the second flush of leaves put out towards 

 the end of the rains is also destroyed by the caterpillars. 



" The trees which receive most damage are those on dry stony hill-sides, parti- 

 cularly if the teak there is nearly pure. Trees in moisten situations, especially 

 where the growth is luxuriant, seem to be little damaged. Whether this is due 

 to the effect the locality has on the insect and its life history or to the fact that 

 the trees are better able to repair or withstand the damage I do not know." 



SAL TREE PESTS. 



Leucoma diaphana, Moore.-r-In February 1898 Mr. J. Campbell, 

 Deputy Conservator of Forests, Assam, Golaghat Division, despatched 

 to the Museum two varieties of caterpillars which had been defoliating 

 sal trees on a very large scale in the forest of Dubri. 



The insects were (a) some larvae of a Noctues moth of the species 

 Leucoma diaphana, Moore ; (b) small caterpillars, apparently the 

 larvae of a Bombycid moth, but as the specimens were decomposed, 

 nothing could be made of them. 



(2) Bombycid moths.— In June 1898 the same officer forwarded 

 specimens of moths defoliating sal in the forest of Dubri. 



These belonged to the following species, but as the specimens were 

 so much rubbed and damaged, the identifications are to a certain 

 extent doubtful (1) five specimens of the moth Lymantria grandis, 

 Walk. ; (2) one specimen of Trabala vishnu, Lef. ; (3) one specimen 

 of a moth Dasychira, sp. 



