386 
and have had, through the generosity of this company, which kindly 
placed at my disposal steamers and other conveniences, a good oppor- 
tunity of looking into the diseases of this plant. 
The following insects were observed as being injurious to sugar cane: 
(1) The larva of a Noctuid, (2) Scarabeid larve, (3) wire-worms or Dia- 
brotica larve. — 
THE NOCTUID LARVA. 
This ranks first in injuring or destroying many of the plants in ail 
parts visited, and seems to be evenly distributed from the Clarence to 
the Tweed River, being somewhat more numerous in the first locality 
mentioned. This larva is most numerous on the outer rows. so much so 
thatin some places, as on the Clarence River,the entire plants were often 
destroyed, not bearing a single healthy or even living cane, while many 
fields, especially on the Richmond and Tweed, rarely showed any traces 
of the insect. 
The abundance of the larve on the outskirts of the fields and places 
exposed to the winds may be readily explained. The moths which are 
on the wing at night and nearly always fly against the wind will often 
settle on the first plants reached, and there deposit their eggs. A 
second reason may be the usual strong winds during daytime not so 
readily allowing the minute flying enemies mentioned below to hunt 
up their hosts on the outer exposed parts of fields. 
The eggs are, without doubt, deposited on the tops of plants and 
rarely in numbers, quite likely behind the young leaves, for very often 
but a single larva or the work of such could be found upon a plant. 
The moth has a casual resemblance to our Arzama which lays its eggs 
in clusters intermixed with the hairs of the bushy anal segments of the 
female. Although I have looked, I have never found a trace of such 
eggs. In this species the last segment is not provided with tufts, and 
the habits no doubt also differ. As the traces of young larve always 
indicated, they enter the tips of plants and work their way downward 
to the heart, which they destroy. If not forced to leave on account of 
decay they will begin irregular tunnels several inches deeper, and, if 
full grown, pupate in one of them, providing first an opening lightly” 
spun over for the moth to issue. The dry and dead top leaves always 
afiord a favorable place in which to pupate. If the larve are compelled 
to leave the boring on top they come lower down and begin their destruc- 
tive work behind the leaves, often girdling the entire plant, and, if the 
entrance is found, usually on one of the eyes. The tunnels run very 
irregularly up and down, and sometimes the plant is nearly cut off, and 
this may be the case as low down as on the ground. It is uncertain 
where the larve will again enter a plant after leaving a burrow, but, in 
the first place, no doubt they look for shelter from their enemies, and 
perhaps sometimes enter the plant at or below the surface of the ground. 
Often plants six feet high were found uninjured down to the base and 
here entirely cut up. Young shoots seem to be eagerly sought and 
