448 
THE TEOPICAL 
AGEICULTURIST. 
[Jan. 1, 1901. 
their existence. In fact, tlie female insect never 
leaves its case, bat lays its eggs and dies in&ide 
it. Tliese cases have always a strong foundation of 
finely woven silk in the form of a tube which 
closely envelopes the caterpillar, but differet-t species 
embellish the oiitsidea of their ca^es in different 
fashions, Some (e,f/, Chinia crarneri) arrange small 
twigs longitudinally all round, till the whole has the 
appearence of a small faggot of sticks. Cluma 
variegata sometimes adopts the faggot form, and at 
other times uses large pieces of leaf as an outside 
covering. Another species fastens short lengths of 
twig side by side in a spiral. Another places the 
minute sticks transversely, forming a four-sided 
■case, Psj/che viinor adopts a chevaux-de fiise pattern 
of erect fibres and pieces of grass, and occassion- 
ally adds some minute snail shells by way of orna- 
ment. And a large number of the smaller species 
have smooth cases partly constructed of minute 
pieces of bark and lichens. As the caterpillar in- 
. creases in size, the case is let out from time to 
time and fiesh material worked in. When feeding 
only the head and front part of the body is extended, 
the case meanwhile being moored to the leaf by a 
thin silken cable. At the slighiest alarm the head is 
retracted and a flexible curtain is drawn tightly 
across the entrance. When the time for its resting 
stage arrives, the caterpillar firmly anchors the case 
to a leaf or twig and closes the mouth of the tube 
with silk. It then turns round inside the case with 
jts head towards the hinder opening of the lube, and 
changes to a chrysalis in this position. If the insect 
happens to be a male, it will eventually (in from two 
to six weeks' time) emerge as a moth, usually of a 
dull b-'ownish or blackish colour, sometimes with 
colourless transparent wings. But the female insect 
does not lea.'e her dwelling. She shuffles off the 
chrysalis pkin inside the case and awaits there the 
attentions of the male. As the head of the female 
is next the only available entiance to the tube, and 
her body being some five or six times as large as 
that of the male, it follows that her partner must 
be possessed of a very flexible and extensile organ; 
and we find that the abdominal segments of the 
male moth are accordingly capable of very great 
longitudinal extension to meet the special circum- 
stances. After impregnation the female deposits her 
eggs — still within the case — and dies. It is said that 
the young larvag make their first meal from the dried 
carcase of their parent. They then emerge into day- 
light and soon build small tubes for their individual 
protection. 
From the fact that the females are wingless, it is 
evident that these pests can spread only in the 
caterpillar stage. It is probable that the very young 
larvae are dist'-ibuted by attaching themselves to the 
coolies' clothinf, or they may be carried for some 
distance by the wind. Otherwise it would require a 
very considerable time before a large field could be 
affected from a given centre. 
No. 9, — The " Small Bagwoiim," Psyche (Manafha) 
albipes, Moore. 
It is this species that gives the most trouble ou 
tea estates. The caterpillar lives in a conical grayish 
case, with afi-w fragments of bark or leaves attached 
to the outside. 
Tne male moth is dark brown, with white feet 
(whence the specific name). It has a wing expanse 
of I inch. The female moth is a whitish, fleshy, 
grub like insect, mcreiy a bag of eggs. It remains 
concealed within its larval case. 
This insect has frequently been reported as des- 
tructive to tea plants in new clearings in the Kelaiii 
Valley districts. After defoliating the plants it does 
Btill further mischief by gnawing oil the bark. 
Hand-picking is the only practical remedy. Plants 
in v/hich the bark has been eaten away must be 
cut back below the injured part. 
No. 10,— The " Lahge Bagworm," Clania variecjata 
Suell. 
This species is sometimes troublesome on local 
patches, but seldom affects any large acreage. 
The caterpillar is enclosed in a bag of grayish silk, 
to which large pieces of leaves and an occasional 
twig are often i-.ttached. The male insect usually 
covers its case with pieces of twig, turning itself 
into a miniature faggot. But the larger- bodied 
female seems to find the sack-like ease the more 
comfortable form. It remains there till it dies. 
The male moth has rather narrow pointed wings, 
flreaked with different shades of brown. Expanse 
1|' inch. It is seldom seen, the females being much 
the more common. 
The species occurs ooinmonly throughout the tea 
districts, and has been reported as defoliating small 
groups of bushes; but beitit; a large insect it is easily 
seen, and should be collected and destroyed when- 
ever observed. 
No. 11.— The ' Twig Caterpillar," Boamiia Blnir- 
mitra, Wlk. 
The caterpilUr has exactly the appearance of a 
dry twig when at rest. It belongs to the family of 
Gfo«!c?ri(?« or " Loopers,' which have only two pairs, 
of legs at the hinder extremity of the body and 
progress in a leech-like fashion. When at rest Ihey 
clasp a branch with these terminal feet and extend 
the body rigidly, in which position they are almost 
indistinguishable from a dead twig. The colour of 
th.i insect assists the deception, being mottled and 
streaked in different shades of brown. A full-grown 
caterpillar measures 1^ inch. 
The chrysalis is formed just below the surface of 
the ground. It is of a reddish colour, smooth and 
glossy. It remains in this stage for about 11 days. 
The moth is very nale brown, minutely specked 
and spotted with darker markings which form wavy 
lines across the wings. Expanse from U to 1^ inch. 
The moths rest, during the day time, fl ittened against 
a tree trunk or rock, with wings expanded, in 
which position their colour harmonizes remarkably 
with their surroundings. 
I have been unable to locate the position in which 
the eggs are deposited. 
Although this insect has been observed commonly 
in Ceylon for a great number of years, it is only 
within the last month that it has been brought to 
my notice as an insest pest. Its work on an estate 
in the Kandy district has now well e.irned for it 
this reputation. I was able to pay a personal visit to 
the place, and found the caterpillars simply swarm- 
ing on the tea, which they were rapidly djfoliating. 
I was shown a large Grevillea clearing, across half of 
which the plague of caterpillars had swept. They 
had stripped these trees bare, together with the young 
Cardamona plants growing below theiu, and had treated 
several Iron-bark Gums in the same manner. On 
turning up the ground underneath the Grevillja=, 
the chrysalides were found in large numbers just 
below the surface. Tne manager of the property has 
given me the following history of the pest, as observed 
by himself. It has been noticed on this particular 
Grevillea clearing for the previous three years, but 
to a smaller extent, increasing its area of attack 
each consecutive year. It usually appears in ' ebruary 
and disappears during the rainy season. The peat 
always starts at the top of the ridge and works down- 
hill, directly against the prevailing wind. In the 
present year the plague of caterpillars continued 
well in August, at which time the moths were 
appearing in thousands, coolies being < mployed to 
catch them as they were re ting on the baik of the 
trees. Over 50,000 were said to have been destroyed 
in this manner in the space of one wtek, a single 
cooly bringing in somstimes nearly a thousand 
moths. The showery weather greatly assisted in 
the success of this work, as the moths are sluggish 
at such times and do not readily take wing. The 
manager was advised to prune the zune of tea upon 
which the caterpillars were then feeding and to fork 
lime into the soil with a view to the destruction of 
the chrysalides. All prunings were to bs burned or 
