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appended referring' to its habits on Tapioca plantations. 
For tlie note relating to the crickets on rubber seedlings I 
am indebted to the Manager of an Estate in Sumatra. 
“The insect bores very rapidly a long tunnel in tbe ground 
“and at varying depths from six inches to more than a 
“foot in some cases. 
“It appears that it feeds in the evening and early 
“morning, since damage done to young plants has always 
“been after 5 o’clock in the afternoon and prior to 6 o’clock 
“in the morning. For the purposA of feeding die animal 
“conies to the surface where in tbe case of Para rubber it 
“has in some cases completely bitten the stem from the 
“root and in other cases partially eaten through the stem 
“causing it to fall down. 
“The pest is one known greatly as troubling the 
‘ 4 Tobacco planter and he has noticed that the plant bitten 
4 4 oft* is dragged away underground, but this has not yet 
“been discovered in the rubber plantations.” 
With regard to the last sentence it is highly probable 
that if the burrows were carefully followed up some leaves 
and sticks would be found within. The burrows are fre- 
quently very long and of considerable size often having 
several distinct passages. On the whole its attack on young 
Tapioca is the same as on Para seedlings, but it is to a cer- 
tain extent encouraged on those plantations carrying the 
first crop. 
The insect prefers sandy soil, and is very seldom 
found when the character of the land is hard. When a 
loose sandy soil is thrown up for banking, as is done on 
tapioca plantations a perfect home for the cricket is form- 
ed, and of which it quickly takes advantage. Shortly after 
the young tapioca shoots, one may see in the early morning, 
a very large percentage of plants 4 4 eaten down” as the 
planter terms it. This damage is done by the cricket during 
the night. They commence to leave their holes at dusk and 
rapidly nibble the soft stem of young tapioca, frequently 
severing them close to the ground, at other times robbing 
the young plant of its leaves. Both the stems, and leaves 
are then drawn into the burrows. When walking round in 
the morning spaces in the young field will be noticed, and 
these spaces continue to increase until very little green foli- 
age is left. Supplies have to be planted, but when a field is 
infected the supplies suffer in the same way as the previous 
crop. * 
Owing to the banking the holes are extremely easy to 
detect. Usually there are about f inch in diameter at the 
exit, but if followed up it will be found that beneath the 
