152 (iVPSV AM) BKOWX-TAIL MOTHS. [Jan. 



year; and the writer went to some pains to collect the moths 

 so taken, and examine them to determine the percentage of 

 male-. ;ind females. Since one male moth is capable of fer- 

 tilizing several females, the destruction of males is of but slight 

 importance. On the other hand, if nearly all the lamps attracted 

 female moths, the destruction of the insects in this way would 

 be of great value. 



At Belmont Prof. Wm. Lyman Underwood had constructed 

 two large wire frames covered with cloth to which were at- 

 tached sheets of sticky fly-paper, the whole apparatus being sus- 

 pended around powerful arc lights. Professor Underwood has 

 kindly placed his notes at the writer's disposal. These show that 

 in a full week the two traps caught a total of 2,036 male 

 moths and 68 female moths. At Brookline, during the last 

 flying season, quite an extensive experiment was made under 

 the direction of Mr. James H. Bowditch. Boards covered with 

 T;mglefoot were fastened beneath arc lamps. These boards 

 were examined by Inspector Joseph Silva of this office on three 

 consecutive nights, at the height of the flying season. The ex- 

 aminations were made before sunrise, with the result that upon 

 32 trap lamps 1,579 male moths and 51 female moths were 

 taken. In the observations made by the writer in ls ( .7, pre- 

 viously mentioned, the globes of 5 lamps were examined be- 

 tween 3 and 4 o'clock in the morning, with the result that 2 '.'7 

 males and 92 females were found. It should be said, however, 

 tliat this observation was made late in the flying season, when 

 the female moths predominated. 



Summarizing the results of these three examinations, all 

 a re fully made, we have a total of 39 lamps under observation, 

 with 4,123 moths taken, of which 3,912, or 94.8 per cent., were 

 males, and 211, or 5.2 por rout., were females. It is thus ap- 

 parent that, while the lamps attract large numbers of moths, 

 they are principally males, and that the females are not suffi- 

 ciently nth-acted by light to warrant the use of lamp traps. 

 These results are unfortunate from the standpoint of those 

 entail-ell in suppress! nir the moths, but in the interests of scien- 

 tific accuracy should be placed on record. Further comment 

 <>n the efficacy of lamp traps seems unnecessary. 



