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The Shot-hole Borer, Xylehorus fornicatus, Eicho£E, has been the subject of much correspondence throughout 
the year. Reports of injury to tea plants by this insect have been received from Watagoda, Nawalapitiya, Dolosbage, 
Kandy, and Deltota districts. Its presence is noticeable chiefly at the time of pruning, when the cut surfaces of the 
affected stems look as if riddled by small shot. On following out these holes they are found to ramify down through 
the stems, and to contain numerous dark-brown beetles and their whitish, maggot-like larvEe. This beetle (admirably 
figured in " Indian Museum Notes," ir., 2) belongs to the family Scolytidm. The insects of this family mostly attack 
dead or dying wood, but in the present instance they attack trees that are to all appearance perfectly healthy. Attack 
does not usually result in the death of the tree, nor in free-growing bushes does it produce any very marked result. 
The presence of these numerous galleries, however, must tend to produce decay by admitting water and other insects ; 
infected trees also may very likely feel the effect of drought sooner, and this will mean a loss of flush. It is said 
that these insects cultivate a food fungus in their galleries (Hubbard, U.S. Dept. of Agr. Div. of Ent., Bull. 7) as is 
done by the termites and some ants. The burning of prunings in affected fields will help to check the pest, and the 
cut surfaces of the ste;iis may be painted with some such greasy mixture as " Raupenleim," which wiU suffocate many 
of the insects in their galleries. 
Numerous reports have been received of extensive defoliation of tea plants by^ the caterpillars of -ffeierwsia 
cimjala, MoovQ. They are said to appear, in thousands and to eat every leaf of the trees. It should be clearly 
understood that all these excessive plagues of caterpillars are preceded by smaller broods which, from their affecting 
perhaps one or two bushes only, are overlooked or considered to be of no importance. If this early brood had been 
promptly destroyed, the later extensive injury would have been avoided. 
The caterpillar of Heterusia cingala is a fleshy-looking insect of a dull brick red colour, about an inch long, 
broad, and thickset. The back and sides are set with small conical tubercles with a few short inconspicuous hairs 
When full-grown it spins a compact straw-coloured cocoon in a folded leaf, and in from two to three weeks emerges 
as a bright-coloured moth that might be readily mistaken for a butterfly. The moth has a wing expanse of 2| inches. 
The fore-wings are dark metallic, blackish green, with an irregular white band and some whitish spots. The hind 
wings are black with a broad primrose yellow zone across the middle, the black parts veined with metallic blue. The 
extremity and base of the abdomen are rich peacock blue, the median are a bright yellow. Some moths kept under 
observation shed their small oblong yellowish eggs loose on the bottom of the box in which they were confined. But 
as the moth has a prominent ovipositor it is probable that under natural conditions the eggs would be deposited either 
in crevices of the ground or of the bark of the trees. Heterusia cingala is an indigenous species, peculiar to Ceylon. 
Its caterpillar is subject to the attacks of a parasitic fly, Exorista heterusice, belonging to the family Tachinidce 
which fortunately checks any very extensive increase of the pest. Of over 100 caterpillars sent to me from one estate 
scarcely 10 produced moths, the balance having been destroyed by these flies. The collection and destruction 
of the caterpilla.rs by hand is the only practical treatment. A very badly alfected field might be pruned down 
and the prunings burnt upon the spot. 
Other leaf -feeding caterpillars of the tea plant that have been prominent during the year are : — 
Orgyia postica, "Wik., a small hairy caterpillar with brushlike tufts, projecting forwards on each side of the head 
similar tuft on the tail, two shorter tufts on each side, and four very compact tufts on the back. The female moth is 
wingless — merely a bag of eggs which she deposits on the surface of her cocoon. The male moth is a sober-coloured 
insect with brown wings marbled in darker shades. As all the eggs — and they are very numerous — are deposited on 
one spot, the resulting brood of caterpillars is at first confined to one bush. This is the time to attack them, and they 
can easily be exterminated before they have wandered further afield and started fresh broods. 
The Tea Tortrix, Romous fasciculina, Wlk. — This insect is always present to a small extent on the tea. The 
larvEe is a small greenish caterpillar that spins a^few leaves together and feeds within them. Under ordinary circum- 
stances it does no appreciable harm, but occasionally it unaccountably increases and makes itself obnoxiously con- 
spicuous by spoiling the whole flush over acres of tea. The outbreak is usually of short duration, seldom extending 
beyond the period of one flush. In every instance that has come under my observation the sudden increase of the 
pest is as suddenly checked by an epidemic of a fungus disease that practically exterminates the caterpillars. The 
moth of this cater] )illar is a small fawn-coloured insect, which when at rest is rendered very inconspicuous by its 
resemblance to the fallen bract of a plant. 
The leaf roller, Gracilaria theivora,Wlsm, is a very minute moth with a correspondingly minute ca,terpillar. Its 
small size may be realized from the fact that during the first half of its existence it lives and feeds quite comfortably 
as a miner between the two surfaces of a young tea leaf. Later, it twists up a leaf into a purse-like receptacle in 
which it completes its growth. This insect is common, and is usually of no economic importance. This year, for the 
first time, I have had reports of considerable injury caused by it. It increased to an extraordinary extent in the early 
months of the year. This was no doubt due partly to the prolonged drought. During the rainy weather the leafy 
receptacles formed by the caterpillars become filled with water and their inhabitants drowned. The collection and 
destruction of the doubled-up leaves in which the caterpillars reside is the only practical treatment. If the pluckers 
were instructed always to remove such leaves, there would be little fear of any sudden increase of the pest. 
The yellow Tea-uiite, Tumonyinus up., has also shown unusual activity this year. This species is very commonly 
present on individual trees, but in September and October, probably owing to the failure of the south-west monsoon, 
complaints were numerous of extensive blights caused by this mite. The animal itself is microscopically small. It 
affects the young leaves only, differing in this respect from the other tea mites, such as " red spider," which confine 
themselves to the mature leaves. The symptoms of the blight are a hardening of the young leaves, with a brownish 
scaly appearance on the under surface, especially on each side of the midrib, with, very often, the semblance of a 
supplementary rib on each side of the true one. The shoots become hard and small, and eventually the bush stops 
flu.shing. Leaves that have been attacked never fully recover, but always bear a roughened pitted look. The mites 
are always found on the newest growth, moving upwards as the leaves get older. Close plucking is therefore a 
logical mode of tieatment, and in the event of bad attacks spraying can be resorted to. Many other species of 
Tu/monyiniM are destructive posts in other countries. 
Specimens of a large termite of an undetermined species, but quite distinct from the ordinary " white ant," have 
been received from various districts (Watagoda, Madulkele, Nawalapitiya) and reported as damaging living tea bushes* 
The insects make their entrance through the taproot, and completely hollow out the iriain stems. The tree survives 
