384 | STROMATIUM ? sp. 

three specimens of it were found. The heart-wood of this tree, a particularly 
fine one, was greatly reduced in value by the numerous old and new 
galleries it contained, 
This longicorn may be identical with the well-known “ white borer ” of the 
South India Planters. This latter grub is the white larva of the cerambycid 
beetle Xylotrechus quadripes.* The grub is shown in Plate XXII, fig. 4. 
Distribution. 
This borer and the Zeuzera coffee (vide p. 435) exist in the 
sandal-wood areas of North Coimbatore. The Deputy Conserva- 
tor of Forests at Bangalore, to whom I explained with diagrams 
the nature of the damage done,’ told me that he thought these 
two were also present throughout Mysore. He could not tell me 
anything about the sirex borer. From an examination of the 
sandal billets in the sandal Koti at Bangalore, I think that there 
can be little doubt that the Deputy Conservator is correct. I 
have at present no information as to whether these borers exist 
in Coorg. 
Protection and Remedies. 
The question of methods of protection against these internal 
boring pests is a difficult one, and the drastic one of cutting out 
and burning all infested trees is often the only one that can be 
recommended. The matter is rendered more difficult in this 
case owing to the scattered way in which the sandal grows. 
We require to know a good deal; more about the Stroma- 
tium’s life-history and, firstly, the period at which it lays its 
eggs and how long they take to develop and hatch out the 
grubs. If the beetles all issue at approximately the same 
time and lay their eggs on the bark within a period of a 
fortnight or so, it would be quite possible to make an attempt to 
check the pest in localities where it is seen to be bad by scrap- 
ing down the bark of the trees with a blunt instrument, This 
would get rid of the eggs and save the tree- I recognise that 
there would be difficulty in doing this owing to the fact that the 
sandal usually grows in the midst of thorny scrub bushes. In the 
case of severe attacks, however, it would be quite feasible and 
the value of the tree would justify the expense. It is, therefore, 
of great importance that the periods of emergence of the beetle 
and egg-laying should be ascertained. Trees infested are not so 

* Vide Note in [njur., Ins. Ind. Forests, p. 80. 
