102 
shoots and though not actually killing the plants preventing them 
from bearing. 
The pest is one of the moth caterpillars called Nettle worms, 
of the group of Limacodidx. It is an inch long and very thick, 
and slug-shaped the back all except its head is bluish white thickly 
covered with radiating tufts of sharp blue or white species, the 
head and belly smooth and dirty yellow. At the tail there is a bare 
patch yellowish in colour with 4 black velvety spots in a transverse 
row. The spines on its back are apparently poisonous as like all 
this set of caterpillars it can sting with them 
f failed to raise any of the moths of this caterpillar as they were 
too much injured in travelling. It is a very common animal and 
may often be seen on Soursop and other trees, but I have never 
seen it in large quantities. The simplest way of dealing with it is 
handpicking, but as the caterpillar defends itself with its poisonous 
thorns, it is necessary to remove or kill it with small sticks or 
pieces of bamboo. Caterpillars are easily wounded and a wound 
is invariably fatal so that they can be destroyed by merely spearing 
them with a sharp piece of bamboo. I cannot find that insecticides 
have been tried on this insect, but as it usually occurs in a some- 
what scattered manner probably children could quickly destroy 
them in the manner suggested. 
Some of the allied nettle grubs have done a great deal of harm 
in Tea estates in Ceylon and India. Mr. Green ( Pests and 
Blights of the Tea plant) warns planters to look out for and des- 
troy the preliminary broods to prevent there being a sudden increase 
in the pest, and suggests the use of arseniate of lead as an insec- 
ticide sprayed over" the leaves. Of course planters will remember 
that this is poisonous and pepper fruit sprayed with it might be 
dangerous so that it should not be used- when the pepper crop is 
nearly ripe. 
bditor. 
ON THE PREPARATION OF RUBBER. 
An important paper with this title written by the well known 
expert Dr. C. O. Weber appears in the India Rubber Journal, 
Feb. 15, 1904, p. 172. The paper deals with the latex of Castilloa 
on which Dr. Weber has long been working but also more espe- 
cially with that of Hevea of which he received large samples 
brought over in cold storage. He points out that the coagulation 
of latex in Castilloa is due to the coagulation of the albuminous 
matter in the latex. The -India rubber substance is dissolved 111 
the latex but is emulsified or suspended in it. So that when the 
albumen is coagulated it brings down with it the rubber. 1 he 
coagulation depends very considerably on the exact nature of the 
albuminoid contained in the latex as well as the presence of certain 
inorganic salts. Hence two different kinds of latex of different 
botanical origin cannot be coagulated equally easily nor even per- 
