PYRAUSTA MACHGRALIS. 307 

may be so treated ; the larvee, having an abundance of food, have 
no need to finish entirely one leaf before searching for another, as 
is the case when they are very numerous in the forest. In some 
leaves it will be found that only the epidermis of the leaf is 
destroyed, the leaf not being pierced completely through. This 
is the work of the young larva whose mandibles are not as yet 
sufficiently strong to cut right through the leaf parenchyma. 
The skeletonized leaves become brown in colour and_ before 
they fall give the forests a dull brown appearance which is in 
strong contrast to the surrounding green foliage of other under 
foliated species of trees. As Mr. Hole remarks, from a distance 
such forests have the appearance of having been touched by 
an early frost or scorched by asevere fire. In Pl. XVII, fig. 2, 
which shows a portion of a leaf attacked in this way, a few small 
holes in the leaf tissue, where the veins of the leaf have been 
destroyed, will be noticed. These Mr. Hole explains as being 
gnawed out by the larva near to where it is feeding, so that 
by this means it can readily gain access to either side of the 
leaf. From this description of the damage done it will be readily 
seen that itis very easy to distinguish the work of, and therefore 
the presence of, Pyrausta in the forest from that of its com- 
panion Hydlea puera which has been already described. 
Mr. S. Carr has recently, however, found in the Rangoon 
plantations a caterpillar, believed to be that of the moth Hyb/xa 
constellata, which is said to skeletonize the leaves in a similar 
manner. This is up to date the only report of this method of 
defoliation not being peculiar to Pyrausta and further careful 
comparison and observations are required. 
From the notes on the life history given for this insect, 
‘t is obvious that it is a most dangerous pest when present in 
large numbers in any forest, since each successive flush of 
leaves is eaten off by later generations of the caterpillars. 
The consensus of opinion seems to be agreed upon the point 
that the insect is more plentiful and increases more readily in pure 
teak areas than in mixed, The life history, again, shows that this 
is likely to be su since the moths lay their eggs on the leaves of 
the trees. Ina pure teak area this will be a comparatively 
simple business, but the reverse is the case when we consider a 
