1 20 Indian Museum Notes. [Voi. V. 



were hand-picking the eggs and the insects at all stages, subse- 

 quently applying a tobacco decoction. These remedies appear to 

 have been so successful he reports that the vines were practically 

 quite rid of the pest when he wrote. 



In "Indian Museum Notes," vol. iii, n. 5, page 82, n. 2 (1896), 

 this bug is reported as feeding on the leaves of Casearia tomentosai 

 Roxb., Natural Order eamydaceg, at Kalsi on the Chakrata Road, 

 Dehra Dun. 



An excellent account of the insect is given by Mr. E. F. T. 

 Atkinson in Journ. A S. B., vol, Ixvi, pt. 2, page 161, n. 76 

 (1887). It has been recorded from Karachi, the Punjab, the North- 

 Western Provinces, Sikkim, Calcutta, Assam (Sylhet and Cachar) 

 Burma, Siam, and various places in South India including Pondi 

 cherry. It is a very beautiful and highly coloured insect, with brilliant 

 metallic reflections. 



On Nop helium lit-chi, Camb. Natural Order Sapindacece. The 



Lichi. 



1. A mite. Order Acarina, Class Avachnida. 



In March, 1901, Babu R. C. De, F.R.H.S., Superintendent 

 of the Raj Darbhangha Gardens, Rajnagar, forwarded some 

 lichi leaves to the Museum, which he said were attacked by some 

 minute insects. He reports that the insects spread very rapidly, 

 sometimes an entire tree being affected. To get rid of the pest he 

 collected the leaves from the trees and burnt them on a fine evening 

 beneath the trees together with any other vegetable refuse available, 

 as he thought that the smoke engendered by the fire would fumigate 

 the trees and so destroy the insects. 



No insects being visible when the leaves arrived, they were sent 

 to Major D. Prain, Superintendent of the Royal Botanic Gardens, 

 Sibpur, who was unable from the dry condition of the leaves to say 

 what had been the cause oi the damage. At the end of May, Major 

 Prain wrote that with fresh leaves it was perfectly easy to say what 

 the damage done was due to. It is a peculiar proliferation of the 

 epidermal tissue due to the irritation caused by myriads of mites that 

 live amongst the hairs. When the leaves are gathered these mites are 

 so abundant that the hairs can hardly be seen for them when a sec- 

 tion is cut. But after the leaves are. gathered the mites disappear 

 very rapidly, which explains why they could not be found on the 

 leaves received from Darbangha, Major Prain further adds that 

 when he wrote all the leaves affected on the lichi trees in the 



