REPORT OF STATE ENTOMOLOGIST. 221 



scene was a strange one and furnished abundant liveliness and 

 interest. 



The largest lot was that brought in by Russell Lucas who 

 had 13,400 and received in payment therefor over $52. The 

 next largest number was the contribution of Roy Plaisted and 

 Willis Baston whose efforts in partnership secured 11,000 nests 

 for which they received $44. Other lots varied in number from 

 100 to several thousands, and the total was something over 120,- 

 000 nests. 



On the following day the nests were removed into a great 

 heap outside, sprayed with five gallons of Rockefeller fluid and 

 the torch applied. Thus was York rid at one single fell blow 

 of an army of over thirty million of these voracious caterpillars 

 which in hatching out next spring would have equaled in number 

 enough to lay waste every deciduous tree in the town. 



But this is only the beginning. Last season the number 

 destroyed in this manner reached scarcely more than 200,000 

 for the whole season, while there is no record of the additional 

 results from other methods adopted by the town." 



This is a good object lesson and establishes a record far 

 beyond that of any other town in the district. 



Another instance is that of Mr. Tobey's orchard at Greenacre, 

 Eliot, where on April i8th seven bushels of nests were taken. 



The life history of the brown-tail has appeared in so many 

 publications sent out from this office that it would seem wholly 

 unnecessary to repeat it here. I will simply give a brief account 

 in order to explain the few illustrations here given. 



Fig. 8 shows a winter nest of the brown-tail caterpillar. 

 This is constructed in the fall, simply as a place in which to 

 hibernate during the cold period of winter. The caterpillars 

 are dormant during the whole period and by instinct remain in 

 that condition for some time in spite of varying conditions of 

 temperature. 



It is a well known fact that many insects freeze up during the 

 winter and remain in this stage until the warmth of spring 

 restores them to vitality again. I will cite one familiar example 

 known to most farmers. It very often happens that when a 

 hollow tree is cut in the winter the rotten portion of the space 

 will contain a colony of ants, so completely frozen as to be cov- 

 ered with frost and ice. If these are carried into a warm 



