224 



^rith, the well known Army Worm," Leucania unipuncta, of America. 

 The same caterpillar was the cause of considerable damage to guinea 

 grass pastures last year, more especially on the south side of the island, 

 numerous communications appeared in the press and were received at 

 the Museum in reference to the matter. The present, however, is the 

 first occasion on which complaints have been received this year. On 

 -exhibiting the specimens at a meeting of the Board of the Agricultural 

 Society, it was affirmed by several of the members that the caterpillar 

 is still present, though in much reduced numbers, in many of the 

 localities afiected last year. It is therefore necessary that attention 

 should still be [directed to the pest to prevent if possible its further 

 excessive increase. 



The Army Worm has been the subject of much consideration in 

 America, where occasionally it develops in vast numbers, and causes 

 great damage from place to place. The " Army" habit is assumed 

 when the caterpillars occur in such numbers as to exhaust the supply 

 of food in the field in which they hatch; they then begin to crawl 

 along the ground in almost solid masses towards adjacent fields. 



The caterpillar is found to be most destructive in seasons following 

 years of unusual drought, and this condition was certainly exemplified 

 in the case of Jamaica last year ; the proper seasonal rains occurred 

 after an intermission of two or three years had given rise to a most 

 serious want of water. Again the Army Worm is found to be seldom 

 injurious in a given locality for two successive summers. 



When an outbreak is first noticed, and if confined to a limited area, it 

 is generally worth while to cut down the grass infested. The worms 

 will remain beneath its shelter for two or three days, and as soon as 

 the cut grass is dry enough it should be burned, thus destroying the 

 pests and preventing the invi^sion of neighbouring fields. It is difficult 

 to apply any remedies which will save a field already infested. The 

 worms may be destroyed by spraying them with strong kerosene 

 emulsion ; and when m vast numbers the construction of barriers, 

 ditches, or furrows has to be resorted to in order to prevent their 

 migration. 



In a later communication ^Ir. Clark states that it was impossible to 

 burn his piece of land infested, as the canes were young plants, just 

 growing. He had, however, all the peas reaped and the field thoroughly 

 cleaned and irrigated, and then put on a gang of children to pick off 

 the caterpillars and destroy them. He writes that the field now seems 

 Iree of them and is recovering from the attack. 



Any similar occurrence elsewhere should be made known at once, 

 when proper remedial measures can be indicated. It is also very 

 desirable to obtain specimens of the adult moth, so that its specific 

 determination can be carried out. 



A Branch- CUTTING Beetle. 



Examples of fallen branches of various kinds of trees are often 

 brought to the Museum one end indicating that the branch has been 

 amputated by some gnawing or cutting action. In several instances a 



