63 
DASYCHIRA SP. 
References :—Ind. Mus. Notes, V. 1, 33. 
. Olassification:—Order, LEPIDOPTERA. Sub-Order, HETEROCERA, 
Family, Lymantriide. 
Description. 
. No description of this pest appears to have been pub- 
lished. 
The caterpillars of the genus are, however, hairy and the 
pupa is formed in a‘silken cocoon. 
The moths are medium sized, the male smaller and more 
brightly coloured than the female. 
The palpi of these insects are porrect, the second joint 
heavily fringed with hair, antenne with the branches long in 
male, short in @; legs hairy. Fore wing with the outer margin 
oblique. 
Life History. 
The larvee of this moth made their appearance in a portion 
of the Assam sAl forests in August 1897, and, despite the very 
heavy rainfall which followed the great earthquake which had 
taken place the preceding June, did a certain amount of defo- 
liation, 
This generation did not spread much but in the following 
November a second generation of the larve appeared, and in 
company with other species of caterpillars spread greatly. 
A third generation of larve appeared about the end of January, 
the number of caterpillars being reported as enormous. To- 
wards the end of March yeta fourth generation of the Dasychira 
appeared, and the pests did not finally disappear until May. 
Caterpillars of this fourth generation collected on the 23rd 
March, changed into the pupal stage on the 3oth and 31st March, 
and an imago emerged on the 2oth April 1808. 
It would appear that the two first of these generations took 
some 8 weeks to pass through the various stages of their 


1 Vide Ind. Forester Vol, XXIV, 9 (1898), 
