SCOLYTUS DEODARA, MS. 233 

Relations to the Forest. 
This scolytid attacks deodar trees of all ages, Large trees 
may be observed to have a curious irregular shape owing to 
numbers of the branches having had their ends ‘cut’ by this 
beetle. The work of the insect can be always recognized as, 
if the end of the branch is examined, a portion of the groove 
made by the beetle will always be observable at its extremity. 
This curious raggedness in the shape of the tree becomes 
even more marked in the case of smaller trees, and the number 
of branches thus treated must seriously interfere with and retard 
their growth. But the attacks become more serious still when 
we come to the sapling stage. Here we find that the beetle 
often attacks and girdles the leading shoot (see Pl. XII, figs. 1 
and 2, B, 3) and this with subsequent girdling of other side shoots 
leads to misshapen trees which can be easily recognized in the 
plantations. It need hardly be stated that this is the most 
serious result of the insects’ attacks. Fig. 1 in the plate shows 
a young sapling with its leading shoot cut off by this insect, 
whilst fig. 2, B, shows the top of another sapling in which two side 
shoots have taken the place of the girdled leader at 3. 
I have noticed that whilst the insect appears to be invariably 
at work in pure deodar forests, it is much rarer in mixed forests 
—a point worthy of some consideration. 
The insect is exceedingly wasteful in its method of egg- 
laying. Large branches are girdled, often 2-3 feet in length and 
with several forks or side branches to them, From the whole of 
this large cut branch but 14 to 2 inches are grooved up from the 
base by the larve hatching out from the eggs laid. The rest of 
the branch thus destroyed is, as far as this scolytid is con- 
cerned, entirely wasted. 
It will be generally found that the upper part is attacked 
by a small polygamous scolytid beetle, Hypoborus (?) sp., 
described at p. 278 of these notes. 
Protection and Remedies, 
It has been already stated that the branches usually harg 
over to one side after being girdled, and when this is the case 
there is no difficuity in observing the beetles’ operations 
