170 (iVI'SV AND BROWX-TAIL MOTHS. [Jan. 



^1 THE PARASITE WORK. 



\York in importing parasites of the gypsy and brown-tail 

 ninths has continued steadily during the year. The excellent 

 corps of foreign collectors organized by Dr. L. 0. Howard has 

 made large shipments of parasitic material at frequent intervals 

 throughout the year. All stages of the gypsy and brown-tail 

 moths have been collected in various parts of Europe at the 

 proper seasons, and forwarded by fast steamers to ISTew York 

 or Boston, at which ports arrangements with the United States 

 customs authorities permit the prompt examination and for- 

 warding to the laboratory. Egg clusters of the gypsy and 

 brown-tail moths and winter webs of the latter insect have 

 reached us usually in good order. The early stages of gypsy 

 moth larvae and the predaceous caterpillar-eating beetles have 

 been shipped to us with a fair degree of success. The experi- 

 ments in importing full-grown caterpillars and pupa? have not 

 been entirely successful, but with the experience gained, par- 

 ticularly during the last season, we shall be able to improve our 

 shipping methods greatly. 



Early in the summer Mr. E. S. G. Titus of the Bureau of 

 Entomology, specially detailed by Dr. Howard for the work 

 at the parasite laboratory, was obliged, because of ill-health, to 

 seek a new field of labor. During the period Mr. Titus was 

 with us many valuable and important discoveries in connection 

 with the imported parasites were made, and it is to be regretted 

 that the severe and painful illness to which he was subjected 

 because of the poisonous effect of the brown-tail moth hairs 

 made necessary the loss of his services. The work he had in 

 hand was promptly taken up by another of Dr. Howard's as- 

 sistants, Mr. W. !'. Fi<ke, who has shown great skill and ability 

 in carrying on the necessary operations. Mr. Fiske's excellent 

 work on forest and parasitic insects peculiarly fits him to deal 

 with the important problem of propagating and disseminating 

 the imported parasites of the moth pests. In Diving us the 

 benefit of his services Dr. Howard has again placed us under 

 iniportant obligations. During the summer months such large 

 <|iiantities ,,f parasitic material were received from ahmad that 

 the service- of a larire number of asHsiants were required at the 



