ITS GYPSY AM) BKOWX-TAIL MOTHS. [Jan. 



The naming of the Tachinids has been done by Messrs. Coquillett and 

 Townsend of this Bureau, by Mr. Kertesz of the National Museum at 

 Budapest, and by Dr. llandlirsch of the Royal Museum of Natural 

 History at Vienna. Such of the Ichneumonids and Braconids as could 

 not be named by comparison with the large museum series in Europe 

 have passed through the hands of an eminent European authority, Prof. 

 0. Schmiedeknecht of Blankenburg, Germany. 



PURCHASES OF SUPPLII . 



The purchase of supplies for use in the work against the 

 moth pests has been made by the local superintendents of each 

 <-iiy and town, the cost of the same being certified to the cen- 

 tral office on blanks furnished for the purpose. Each schedule 

 of bills forming a part of the account on which the State reim- 

 bursement is based is required to be accompanied by receipted 

 bills, and is duly attested by the city or town treasurer, as in 

 the case of pay rolls. During the first year of our work, while 

 the enforcement of the law was, as it were, in the experimental 

 stage, the selection and purchase of supplies was largely left to 

 the local authorities. It soon became apparent that widely 

 varying prices were being paid for many articles, and that in 

 some cases unnecessarily large sums had been paid for tools, 

 insecticides, etc., thus reducing the amount available for labor. 

 To systematize this feature of the work, a list of supplies needed 

 in the field operations was prepared and submitted to a large 

 number of responsible dealers, requesting bids from them, with 

 the assurance that the lowest bidder would be recommended to 

 the city and town authorities, for the particular class of goods 

 offered. In this way we have been able to secure a notable re- 

 duction in the cost of the materials needed, and to furnish local 

 superintendents with a list of dealers and prices at which the 

 supplies could be obtained. Furthermore, this system has put 

 all the municipalities on (lie -ame basis as far as tools, etc., are 

 concerned. The local superintendents of moth work have also 

 been in.-trncted that they are at liberty to purchase their sup- 

 plies of local dealers olVerini: the same grade of goods at the 

 prices iriven in the printed list. 



( loods bought at prices in excess of the list are credited only 

 at li-t price, unless some satisfactory reason to the contrary is 

 t:iven, such as emergency work, where delay might prove more 



