328 COCCINELLA SP. 

not feeding, they are to be found in large numbers collected 
close together on the underside of leaves—SAl leaves, Bauhinia, 
and other large leaves being the ones chiefly made use of. The 
beetles also feed upon the white female scales, attacking them 
in the same way as their larvae anywhere on the upper or under 
surface of the body. They pierce through the skin and a drop 
or two of the yellow liquid comes out, but never more. They 
do not kill the scale outright as they appear to be full fed 
in half an hour by which time they have absorbed but a 
small quantity of the scale’s body substance. Whilst feeding, 
the scale either continues to remain with its beak buried 
in the tissues of the s4l twig or it may move about with 
"the beetle attached to it, but it does not appear to be incon- 
venienced to any great extent and only shows signs of pain 
when the beetle first pierces through its skin. The scales are 
evidently killed off in time by constant tapping by different 
beetles. Scales so tapped show numbers of small white and 
yellow spots, the places where the beetles have pierced them, 
They also are much shrivelled, are dirty brown or whitey black 
in colour and move slowly. 
The ¢ beetle appears to commence egg-laying at the 
time this operation is being performed by its host, the 
sal tree white scale. 
Locality from where reported. 
This coccinellid was found plentifully during 1902 in the 
Siwalik s4l forests of the United Provinces. 
Relattons to the Forest. 
During the last few years the scale insect M7. stebbing? has 
appeared in large and increasing numbers and has proved a 
serious pest in the Siwalik sal forests. During the present 
year, owing perhaps to a very dry and mild winter, the 
attack assumed large dimensions, the young coccids being in 
enormous numbers almost throughout the entire Siwalik and 
some adjacent sal areas, When about half-grown the scales 
were attacked by the larva of this coccinellid, which owing 
to the large increase in their food-supply and to the favourable 
