292 Repoet of the Entomologists of the 



there has been a notable increase in the number of caterpillars 

 in New York and throughout the New England States. 



But little was written about the history of this insect in the 

 west previous to 1870, when Dr. C. V. Riley'^ mentions its ravages 

 during the previous two years in Arkansas, and also states that 

 " in many parts of Missouri it has been very destructive during 

 the past two simimers." Erom the statements of Riley, Bruner, 

 Murtfeldt and Lugger it appears that the caterpillars have caused 

 a similar and probably equal injury from time to time in the 

 middle states. The extent of its distribution in the west is not 

 dehnitely known, but it probably occurs sparingly as far west as 

 California. 



History in New York State. — Among the first to write about 

 the ravages of the forest tent-caterpillar in this State was Dr. Asa 

 Eitch, our first State Entomologist. There are no indications in 

 his writings that the insect was considered of especial economic 

 importance in this State during the first half of the present cen- 

 tury. He refers to it but twice in his fourteen reports. The first 

 reference** was in 1856 in which he states that " here at the north 

 this insect is far less common than the other species " (the apple- 

 tree tent-caterpillar, C. americana). In this report and later^ he 

 considers it a serious pest to the oak, but otherwise of no especial 

 economic importance. 



One of the earliest outbreaks in the State of which there is a 

 record was in Western New York in 1866 and 1867 when the 

 caterpillars occurred in great numbers upon the foliage of both 

 forest and fruit trees. In 1886 Dr. J. A. Lintner,^^ second State 

 Entomologist of this State, referred to their serious depredations 

 in apple orchards in some sections of the State. During the past 

 ten years this insect has attracted much more attention than at anjr 



7 American Entomologist and Botanist, 2: 245; 261-260, 



8 Fitch. Second Report on the Insects of New York. 1856, pp. IfiS, 18i. 

 8 Fitch. Fifth Report on the Insects of New York. 18»9, pp. 820, 822. 

 lOLintner, J. A. Third Report, pp. 91, 93; New England Uomestead, 20; 



229. 



