12 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF [1896. 



" Descriptions of New Species of Mollusks," by H. A. Pilsbry. 



"The Molting of Birds with special reference to the Plumage 

 of the Smaller Birds of Eastern North America," by Witmer 

 Stone. 



The deaths of George Edward Dobson and Don Antonio del 

 Castillo, correspondents, were announced. 



January 28. 

 The President, Samuel G. Dixon, M. D., in the Chair. 

 Thirteen persons present. 



A paper entitled "Contributions to the Zoology of Tennessee, 

 No. 3, Mammals," by Samuel N. Rhoads, was presented for publica- 

 tion. 



A resolution having been adopted at the preceding meeting pro- 

 viding for an inquiry as to the best method of exterminating the 

 Tussock JSIoth, Orgyia leucostigma, with which the city squares and 

 trees are infested, the subject was referred to the Entomological 

 Section, a committee of which reported as follows : — 



AVe would recommend for the destruction and extermination of 

 the Tussock Moth, Orgyia leucostigma, that as soon as possible all 

 the egg masses be hand-picked from the trees and destroyed. To be 

 effective, this must be done before the first day of April. The 

 trunk of each tree should be encircled about five feet from the 

 ground by a band of " Raupenleim " or Dendroline, four inches 

 wide and a quarter of an inch thick ; this band should be renewed 

 once a month during the summer season. All eggs, cocoons and 

 caterpillars segregated below the band should be gathered and 

 burned ; or they may be killed by steam or by the flame apparatus 

 used by house painters. 



The committee is confident that the above method, if properly 

 carried out, will exterminate the species in a given locality in two 

 or three seasons, and put them under control the first summer. The 

 committee has never seen this method properly carried out. Failure 

 in the past has been due to the integrity of the band not being 

 maintained and to the fact that a few segregated insects and eggs 

 were simply brushed to the ground where the eggs hatched and the 

 caterpillars reascended the trees. The life-history of the species 

 will show why the methods described must prove successful, and we 

 append an account of the transformations of this defoliator of our 

 shade trees : — 



" These caterpillars are first noticed on the trees in May, quite 

 small, feeding on the leaves, and somewhat indifferently on either 



