152 Indian Museum Notes. £Yol. V. 



convenient to give the questions and the several replies received from 

 each of these gentlemen in the order of the questions — 



r. How many generations of the moth are there in the year ? 

 — Two in indigo. — (Sealy.) 



2. The length of each generation, i.e., from egg to moth? — About 

 five months,— [Sea ly.) 



3. The length of each stage in a generation, the egg, the cater- 

 pillar, the chrysalis,, and the moth? — The egg about two or three 

 days, caterpillar about thirty days, — (Sealy.) 



4. When are the eggs laid? — From 5th March to 15th April,— - 

 [Sealy.) 



5. Where are they laid, i.e., on the leaves of the indigo plant, in 

 the ground, or on any other plants besides indigo ?-— On the leaves 

 of the indigo plant. Two leaves are stuck together with a web and 

 the eggs are laid between (Sealy). [The web is probably made 

 by the young caterpillar, not by the mother-moth who laid the 

 eggs.— Ed.] 



6. What becomes of the insect during the period that there are 

 no indigo plants on the zerats (fields;. Does it carry on generation 

 after generation during that period on other plants than indigo, or 

 has it a quiescent stage ; if so, what stage (egg, caterpillar, chrysalis, 

 or moth) is it in ? — I think the insect has a quiescent stage during the 

 cold w r eather, in the chrysalis stage. — (Sealy.) 



7. Does the caterpillar show any preference for early sown or 

 late sown plants? — The reddish-brown caterpillar prefers early sown 

 indigo (Wilson). My experience is that early sown plant (i.e., plant 

 sown in February) is not so liable to be attacked as late sown plant. — 

 (Murray.) Prefers late sowings. — (Filgate.) Undoubtedly for late 

 sown plant. — (Sealy.) 



8. What parasites affect the caterpillar? I have bred a tachinid 

 fly (very similar to a house-fly in general appearance) from cater- 

 pillars obtained at Muzaffarpur. This fly has been identified by 

 Mr. Coquillett as Tachina subnigera van der wulp. There are 

 doubtless other parasites. — (No answer.) 



9. What is the c~use of a "bad caterpillar year"? Has cold 

 weather rain anything to do with it, and why ?— My experience is that 

 in a season when there are late cold weather rains followed in 

 March by easterly winds with rather warm weather caterpillars are 

 worst, especially the reddish-brown kind. The little green cater- 

 pillar is with us every year more or less, and does less harm. The 

 large green caterpillars found some years in our khoontie? only 

 appear during some years, and then often when we are getting extra 

 produce. — (Wilson). In my experience always preceded by rain in 

 January, the reason why this should be so I do not knQW.-~{Murray 



