378 
SPICES 
CHAP. 
beans, tobacco, and attacks chiefly the seedling capsi- 
cums. The seedling beds can be protected by putting 
round them the leaves of Euphorbia neriifolia, which 
the caterpillars eat and which are fatal to them. 
The birds known as Mynahs kill a great many, and 
a parasitic fly (a Tachinid) destroys a number of them. 
Eemoval of hedges and weeds in which the cater- 
pillar can pupate will also be effective in driving them 
away. 
Hemichionaspis minor, Maskell. — A very trouble- 
some coccid also attacks the capsicum. This small 
white species injures many plants in the West Indies. 
It occurs also in New Zealand, North America, India, 
and Ceylon. It is devoured by the larva of a species 
of lady-bird. 
Another injurious insect is one of the fruit flies, 
Dacus caudatus, the maggots of which feed on ripen- 
ing fruits. They do not attack the seeds, but prevent 
the ripening of the fruit, so that the whole fruit is 
destroyed. It is rather difficult to deal with this class 
of insects, as it is impossible to catch these active flies 
in any quantity, and no insecticide will deal with a 
maggot inside a fruit. In the case of an outbreak of 
this pest, all infected fruits should be taken off and 
destroyed, care being taken not to leave any on the 
ground so that the animal can pass into the pupa state 
and hatch out as flies to continue the destruction. 
Two or more species of Epilachna, E. territa, Muls., 
and E. pusillanima, Muls., attack the leaves of capsi- 
cums, as well as those of other plants of the order 
Solanaceae, by biting holes in them, and may do a 
good deal of damage. They are small lady -bird -like 
beetles, of a dull pinkish colour, and usually more or 
less hairy. 
Fungi. — According to Tubeuf, the fungus known as 
Gloeosporium piperatum attacks the fruits of Capsicum 
annuum. It is closely allied to, if not identical with, 
Gl. fructigenum, the ripe-rot fungus of apples. This 
causes brown spots like decay on the fruit, but instead 
