64. DASYCHIRA SP. 

metamorphoses, whilst in the case of the last two, six weeks 
sufficed from egg to mature moth, | 
The life history from May to August has still to be studied. 
Locality from where reported. 
The insects were sent from the Goalpara district in Assam. 
Relations to the Forest. 
The sal was completely defoliated throughout this district 
in 1893-94. This was repeated in 1897-98, the Dasychira sp. 
appearing towards the close of August in the Hil and Charai- 
daka blocks. In November the area affected extended over 
the greater portion of the Ripu Reserve and on into Chirang. 
The third generation in January was the most mischievous, 
invading almost every sal tree throughout the Goalpara divi- 
sion, Early in March the sal forest presented the appearance 
of a mere mass of upright bare poles, without a vestige of 
foliage on them except in the case of.a few young trees near 
the Bhutan border on the west of the district which escaped 
attack, When the leaves of the trees should have fallen, none 
were left to fall, all having been devoured, The inflorescence 
which usually appears about the close of January or early in 
February failed to develop at alle With reference to this, it is 
stated that the Guma Reserve, about “26 square miles in extent, 
where the insects were few in number, wasa mass of foliage and 
inflorescence in March, prognosticating an excellent seed season, 
when this pest appeared in thousands and cleared off both 
leaves and flowers. New shoots and leaves started sprouting 
in March and were left untouched till the end of the month 
when the fourth generation cleaned them off the trees. Other 
trees suffered as well as sal but to an insignificant extent, except 
the few Zerminalia tomentosa in the west of the district 
which were stripped in a similar manner to the sal. 
The damage done to the trees is serious. Growth is arrested, 
numerous young shoots and twigs die, and it is stated that 
the number of unsightly knots on branches have their origin 
in this manner. Poor soils and shallow exposed situations 
and ill-grown trees are first attacked, but depredations are not 
limited to these, and the defoliation is said to become so com- 
