Scrolls and hyperbolicity

Using degeneration to scrolls, we give an easy proof of non-existence of curves of low genera on general surfaces in P3 of degree d >=5. We show, along the same lines, boundedness of families of curves of small enough genera on general surfaces in P3. We also show that there exist Kobayashi hyperbolic surfaces in P3 of degree d = 7 (a result so far unknown), and give a new construction of such surfaces of degree d = 6. Finally we provide some new lower bounds for geometric genera of surfaces lying on general hypersurfaces of degree 3d > 15 in P4.