impossible to unwind it and it is usele s. Attempts have been 
made to use it however (Indian Museum Notes II. 72), 
COLEOPTERA. 
Nutmeg Beetles, Scolytidce. — The small beetles described 
in Bulletin No. 5, as causing so much damage to nutmeg trees in 
Penang and Province Wellesley, have been identified by Mr. 
Blandford as comprising three species of Tomicidae. Two of 
these are species of Phlceosinus , one of which is described as P. 
cribratus, Blandford, and with them was Xyleborus jornicatus . 
This latter has been reported as very destructive to tea in Ceylon 
(Indian Museum Notes IV, p. 5 7, PI. V). It attacks the stems, 
riddling them as if a charge of snipe shot had been fired at them. 
Mr. G. Alston is quoted as saying that strong vigorous trees in 
good soil seem to be very little affected but poor plants on ridges 
or poor soil seem naturally to feel the effect of it quickly, though 
in no case have I seen a tree killed by it. Other species of the 
same genus are well known insect pests, and in cases of any of 
the shot borers being found attacking trees, care should be 
taken to burn all dead wood and bark on the ground to prevent 
the animals breeding. 
Batocera Hector, Dej . ( Longicorma ). — This is a very large 
plain light brown longicorn beetle about 3 inches in length with 
long antennae and a thorn on each side of the thorax, 1 believe 
I am right in identifying it with a rather common insect which 
often comes to light in houses, where I suspect the larva has pre- 
viously fed on the timber. The grub is about 4 inches long, stout 
and white. It is reported (Konigsberger Dierlijke Vijanden der 
Koffie culter in Java) as being very destructive to the shade 
trees, chiefly Dadup Erythrina, and less frequently to Albizzia 
and nutmegs. 
Serica sp? near S. pruinosa ( Lamellicornia ). — Prom lapa in 
Perak I have received some small brown chafers which Mr. Bai- 
ley tells me have done a great deal of damage in devouring the 
leaves of Mango stem and Rambutan trees, quite defoliating 
them. These insects fly only at night, hiding probably in the 
ground during the day. The beetle is a quarter of an inch in 
length, entirely smooth, shining chestnut brown, the head is small, 
thorax rather short, elytra rounded dorsallv almost completely 
covering the body and finely striate, the kgs long and slender 
especially the hinder pair which project beyond the abdomen. 
Two species of small chafers about a quarter of an inch long 
are very troublesome in gardens in devouring leaves of many 
shrubs such as Acalyphas and biting every leaf into holes. 
These beetles attack the plants only at night when a visit to 
the shrubs with a lantern will show them to be swarming. They 
can be shaken off into a net or cloth bu f fly very briskly and 
many escape. One of them is entirely glossy black the other 
brown with faint motflings. During the day these beetles pro- 
bably hide in the ground and I have several times dug them up 
beneath the bushes they have been eating but only a few at a 
