GYPSY AND BROWN-TAIL MOTHS. [Jan. 



Kiirope west of Russia, so as In cover all possible climatic variations 

 within that geographic range. Mr. Titus and I were pleased to find, 

 on opening representative nests from the different regions, that all 

 contained larval parasites busily engaged in feeding upon the young 

 hibernating brown-tail moth larva?. The season at that time was not 

 sufficiently tar advanced for the work to demand the entire attention of 

 Mr. Titus. He was therefore instructed to return to Washing-ton, and to 

 take up his headquarters at the North Saugus laboratory as soon as the 

 parasites should begin to emerge and the Massachusetts brown-tail moth 

 larva' should begin to issue from their winter nests and to attack bud- 

 ding foliage. Mr. Titus was instructed to remain at the laboratory 

 and to take entire charge of all the parasitic material, carefully sepa- 

 rating all secondary parasites from the true primary parasites, and 

 destroying the former; also to take every precaution against the issu- 

 ance of other European insects which the nests might accidentally con- 

 tain. Further, he was instructed to colonize, with your advice and 

 assistance, all issuing parasites in such locations as should seem to offer 

 the best chances for the establishment of the species on American soil. 

 Having made these arrangements, I sailed from New York on March 

 17 for Europe, returning to America May 17, the travelling expenses 

 being paid by the United States Department of Agriculture. In the 

 course of this journey I interviewed correspondents and agents in Paris, 

 Rennes, Montpellier, Marseilles and Hyeres, France; Naples, Florence 

 and Milan, Italy; Vienna, Austria; Budapest, Hungary; Dresden and 

 Tharandt, Germany; and Zurich, Switzerland; at the same time, in the 

 latter part of the journey, making efforts to learn of localities where 

 either the gypsy moth or the brown-tail moth might reasonably be ex- 

 pected to be abundant during the summer of 1006. Wherever such 

 localities were heard of, the information Avas given to my agents. 

 All of the agents and correspondents were given full instructions re- 

 garding the work for the summer of 1906 and the winter of 1906-07. 

 The experience of 1905, with regard to the best methods of packing and 

 shipment and the best kinds of boxes used, was related to all; and these 

 points were fully discussed, with the result that the material received 

 diiriii-,- the summer of 1906 was not only greater in quantity but better 

 in cnndition than that received during the previous summer. All of 

 tin- persons mentioned especially in my last report to you were visited, 

 and in addition to these I may particularly mention, among the others 

 whose services were enlisted, Prof. C. Iloulbert of Rennes. Professor 

 Yalcry Mayet of Mont pellier. Dr. 1'. Siepi of Marseilles and Mr. Harold 

 Powell of Uyeres. I also had the -^nnd fortune to find in Vienna Dr. 

 tav Mavr. whom I had missed in my l!>0.~> trip. Dr. Mayr is the 

 Kiirope.-m authority on several of the groups of parasites most in- 

 timately connected with this work, and I had a long consultation with 

 him concern in-.: the systematic position of some of the forms already 

 imported, and concerning the practical pn^iliilit ies of the whole series 



