No. 3.] Fruit trees. 127 



Celebes, Buru, the Re" Isles, and in Australia. The figures show 

 both sexes of the insect from specimens from Calcutta. 



On Phcenix sylvestris, Roxb., The Date Palm. 



On Borasus flabelifer 9 Lin. The Palmyra or Tal Palm. 



On COCOS nucifera, Linn. The Cocoanut Palm. All natural order 



Palmeae. 



2. Rhynchophorus ferrugineus, Oliv. Family Curculionidss, the 

 Palm Weevil, and Oryctes rhinoceros, Linn., the Rhinoceros Beetle. 

 Family Scarabseidse. Both Order Coleoptera. Plate viii, fig. 1 $. 



Specimens of the two above-named beetle pests were received 

 from Mr. C. A. Barber, Government Botanist, Madras, in June and 

 July, 1900, who reported that they were doing considerable damage 

 to date, palmyra and coconut palms in Madras. He remarks that 

 the palm weevil, R. ferrugineus, tc Usually attacks the date-palms 

 after tapping for toddy has commenced, working up from the cut 

 surface into the young shoot. Unless extracted the tree dies. I 

 have obtained the eggs, and I find them lightly attached in some 

 cases by a small stalk. They are also sometimes buried in shallow 

 holes in the leaf-bases when the insect is working from within. The 

 grub or larva of the beetle spins a strong and thick cocoon of the 

 date fibrovascular bundles." 



These two beetles have been frequently reported in <f Indian 

 Museum Notes " as attacking palms in various parts of India. R. 

 ferrugineus is figured in all stages in "Indian Museum Notes," 

 vol. ii, pp. 8, 9 (1891), and a badly-infected coconut plantation at 

 Singapore ravaged by both beetles in Vol, iii, p. 127 (1896). 

 A male of the rhinoceros beetle, O. rhinoceros, is figured on plate 

 viii, fig. 1, $. 



III.— INSECT PESTS OF PLANTS. 



On Crotalaria hirsuta. Wild. 



1. Chionaspis {Hemichionaspis) minor, Maskell. Family Coccidse. 

 Sub-order Homoptera. Order Hemiptera. Plate xvii, fig. 2 

 female ; margin of extremity of pygidium greatly enlarged. 



In March, 1900, Major D. Prain, I. M.S., Superintendent, Royal 

 Botanic Garden, Sibpur, near Calcutta, forwarded some coccids 

 found on Crotalaria hirsuta, Willd., a plant of the Natural Order 



K 2 



