No. 2,] Notes on insect pests from the Entomological Section. 41 



In February 1899, the Director of Land Records and Agriculture, 

 North-West Provinces and Oudh, forwarded some samples of sugar- 

 cane said to be injured by insects. He Avrote : — 



"The specimens have been collected in Pipra, a village in Gorakhpur dis- 

 trict. It is stated that when the cane is affected, the pith becomes red and the 

 juice dries up gradually. This happens in one internode after another till the 

 whole cane dries up and becomes woody. In a clump sometimes only one cane 

 is affected, and the others remain healthy until the cane affected first is destroyed. 

 The healthy canes then get diseased .... It is known locally as Levoohi- 

 The disease makes its appearance about the middle of the rainy season, and con- 

 tinues its damage until February or March. - Sometimes a whole crop dries up 

 from the effects of the disease a short time before it is fit for crushing. The 

 variety of cane known in Gorakhpur as Pansalie and in other places as Kalara is 

 specially liable to the disease, and its cultivation is therefore diminishing rapidly." 



The sugarcane sent was examined and was found to contain the 

 following insects :— 



(a) A chrysalis of the common borer moth Chilo simplex, Butler. 



(b) Two chrysalids of a Microlepidopterous moth, one of which 



was reared in the Museum, and found to be new to our 

 collection. It has been identified by Sir G. F. Hampson 

 as Scirpophaga excerptalis, Wlk. 



(c) Numerous specimens of a scale insect which being new to 



our collection were forwarded to Mr. E. E. Green for 

 identification, and proved to be new to science. Mr. Green 

 has named it Ripersia sacchari, and his description will 

 be found on page 37, the insect being figured on plate 

 VI (figs. 5 and 6). 



The borer, Chilo simplex, Butler, is one of the most serious of 

 sugarcane pests, reports as to its ravages being continually sent in 

 from all parts of India. Cutting down and burning all sickly-looking 

 stems, in which in all probability a caterpillar is concealed, might be 

 of use in checking its ravages 



As to the scale insect, it is probably a pest, but Mr. Green has 

 not given any opinion on this point. 



In March 1899, the Director of Land Records and Agriculture, 

 North-West Provinces and Oudh, again brought to our notice some 

 sugarcanes, which he said were being badly damaged by what was 

 believed to be a fungus. 



No insects were discovered, so very possibly the plants were 

 attacked by a. fungus. In Queensland the Department of Agriculture 

 found that it was a fungus locally known as the rust, which caused 

 serious damage to sugarcane in the Colony. It was only by ex- 

 pensive experiments extending over a period of years that a fairly 



