General Meeting, Feb. 1st, 1854. xciiL 



afford extremely interesting matter for research to determine 

 what natural agencies promote its disappearance and protect 

 those Estates upon which it has not as yet made its appearance. 

 The subject of a remedy capable of counteracting the rava- 

 ges of this pest of the Coffee Planters has already received 

 much of their attention, but the plans hitherto proposed have 

 either been impracticable, too expensive, too tedious, or alto- 

 gether futile when applied. In 1848, the subject appeared of 

 so much importance to Ceylon, that a correspondence with 

 reference to it was entered into between the Home and Co- 

 lonial Government, when Professor Lindley the eminent 

 Botanist was consulted, and gave as his opinion that hot 

 water, if applied directly to the Bug, would prove efficacious. 

 All the correspondence on the subject will be found in the 

 Government Gazette of the period alluded to. Since then, 

 though the remedy proposed by this eminent individual was 

 quite futile and impracticable, the subject does not appear to 

 have had any further consideration given to it, with the ex- 

 ception of some casual suggestions made in the local prints, 

 though the Blight has continued to make the same ravages 

 as before. 



My attention was accidentally drawn to this subject in 

 December 1852. While examining the leaf of a jungle plant 

 growing within a few miles of Colombo, I was struck by 

 observing a large Bed Ant on its under side putting himself 

 into an extraordinary position, evidently annoyed at the in- 

 trusion, and endeavouring to shew fight, and on looking closer 

 I saw the cause of his excitement to be a scale insect which 

 he guarded most resolutely, at the same time making a sharp 

 clicking noise by stricking the leaf with its tail, and putting 

 himself into most grotesque attitudes. The thought immedi- 

 ately struck me that he had some very interested motives for 

 thus guarding the scale insect, and in all probability he either 

 fed upon it, and only wanted the opportunity of tearing it from 

 off the leaf, which his large expanded jaws appeared well 

 capable of doing, or perhaps he fed upon the young as they 



