1908.] PUBLIC DOCUMENT No. 73. 211 



First of all, as is well known, the work of obtaining parasites has 

 most wisely been placed in the hands of Dr. L. 0. Howard, Chief of 

 the Federal Bureau of Entomology, a man eminently fitted to dis- 

 charge this duty, since he is a recognized authority on insect parasites, 

 and has at his command the vast technical resources of the general 

 government. Furthermore, Dr. Howard's extensive acquaintance with 

 European entomologists has been of untold benefit in securing their 

 co-operation in the collection of parasitized brown-tail and gypsy moth 

 material. Our investigations show first of all that shipments of para- 

 sites were being received daily from representative areas throughout 

 Europe, where the gypsy moth was known to be more or less abundant 

 and destructive at periodic intervals. They also disclosed the fact that, 

 owing to conditions some of which were probably beyond human con- 

 trol, there was no adequate representation of the Asiatic fauna. We 

 are informed that an important parasite is known to prey upon the 

 gypsy moth in Japan. Several attempts have been made, through the 

 co-operation of consuls and Japanese entomologists, to introduce this 

 insect, but all have failed. Inasmuch as many of the plants and 

 animals of Japan thrive exceptionally in the eastern part of this 

 country, we deem it extremely important that another effort be made 

 to introduce this species, even though it involve the expense of sending 

 a special agent to Japan in order to secure the insect. The experience 

 of the last two seasons has shown that European parasites can be 

 brought into this country successfully; and at the present time they 

 are being received in large numbers by mail, taken promptly to the 

 Saugus laboratory, the boxes opened, the contents inventoried, the differ- 

 ent species separated, special care being exercised to destroy all dan- 

 gerous hyperparasites, and the beneficial forms liberated under the most 

 favorable conditions. We wish particularly to commend the care 

 which has been given to this aspect of the problem. The areas where 

 the various parasites have been planted are widely separated one from 

 the other, so that the relative efficiency of the different species imported 

 can be determined without great labor. Furthermore, the extensive 

 distribution of the parasites throughout the infested territory reduces 

 very largely the peril of importations being annihilated by forest fires, 

 unfavorable climatic conditions or other agencies beyond the control of 

 man. Many of the parasites have purposely been placed in badly in- 

 fested sections burned over only a year or two earlier, as there is 

 considerably less danger of a forest fire occurring in such woodland. 

 A valuable predaceous beetle has passed through one generation and 

 lived through the winter, while certain parasites, liberated in the open 

 last year, have been found this spring in young brown-tail moth cater- 

 pillars. These two facts alone are very encouraging. 



There has been for several years at least one or more fungous dis- 

 eases destroying both the gypsy and brown-tail moth caterpillars, 

 occasionally causing the death of large numbers. We were actually in 



