1908.] PUBLIC DOCUMENT No. 73. 137 



the attacks of injurious insects. It naturally follows, therefore, 

 that throughout the year, particularly in the spring and sum- 

 mer months, several thousands of specimens of various insects 

 are brought or sent to this office, under the impression that they 

 may be the gypsy or brown-tail moths. In this way quite a 

 number of infestations by the moth pests have been located, but 

 at least 90 per cent, of the insects presented for examination 

 prove to be some of the more common native species. Almost 

 invariably the question is asked, " If this is not the gypsy moth, 

 what is it, and what can I do to destroy it ? ' Information on 

 these questions should be more properly sought from the ex- 

 periment station at Amherst, the entomological department of 

 which is so finely equipped with able entomologists, libraries 

 and collections. At the same time, the farmer or orchardist 

 cannot always wait to obtain information from this source, par- 

 ticularly if his trees or crops are being devoured. 



Since this condition of affairs makes it possible to render a 

 large amount of practical assistance to our citizens, particularly 

 those in eastern Massachusetts, where the bulk of our popula- 

 tion resides, the superintendent has at all times gladly given 

 the desired information by identifying the insects and giving 

 directions for their effective treatment. He feels that if a man 

 has sufficient interest in the gypsy moth work to send or bring 

 specimens of noxious insects to this office, through fear that they 

 may be either the gypsy or brown-tail moths, that man is en- 

 titled to all the help and advice this office may be qualified to 

 give. The inquiries of this nature which reach us in the course 

 of a year cover practically the whole range of insect pests, from 

 those of the household, of stored goods or of fruit and vegetable 

 crops, to those ravaging shade and forest trees. 



To aid in the rapid and accurate identification of such in- 

 sects as may be sent in, the superintendent has obtained, through 

 the courtesy of Hon. J. L. Ellsworth, secretary of the Massa- 

 chusetts State Board of Agriculture, the reference collection of 

 insects formerly in use at the office of the gypsy moth commit- 

 tee. To this has been added by purchase the valuable collec- 

 tion of moths and butterflies of the late George H. Harris, while 

 by exchange and donation we have also obtained much valuable 

 material from the insectarv collection of the Massachusetts 



