THE BROWN-TAIL ISIOTH. 11 



imi)ortant pests of roses. We know that it spins its winter 

 webs freely on the rose, and that rose bushes are always 

 imported in the fall, winter or spring, while both the bushes 

 and the insects are in a dormant condition. The fact that 

 this greenhouse was in the centre of the worst moth-infested 

 district, and in consideration of the facts previously enumer- 

 ated, makes the circumstantial evidence strong that the 

 brown-tail moth was brought to this locality accidentally 

 on imported roses, escaped, and spread naturally through- 

 out the district. This case is but another excellent illustra- 

 tion of how the agencies of commerce and the business 

 intercourse between nations are fast bringing about a world- 

 wide distribution of our principal insect pests. 



"It is indeed a strange fatality that another European- 

 insect, closely related to the gyps}' moth by habit and 

 structure, should become accidentally imported to the same 

 locality to which thirty years before a misguided scientist 

 brought the gypsy moth. It would seem that the world is 

 large enough to give each of these pests a separate ' sphere 

 of influence.' That they were both transported across the 

 Atlantic to the same locality by totall}^ dissimilar agencies 

 must stand as one of the remarkable entomoloo-ical events 

 of the century just closed." * Xow that we know the 

 habits of the caterpillars in spinning their webs on so many 

 diflerent slirubs and trees Aalued for their fruit or for orna- 

 mental purposes, it seems all the more remarkable tliat the 

 insect was not imported years ago. Our long innnunity 

 from the pest is greatly to the credit of European nursery- 

 men, and gives evidence of the care with which imrsery 

 stock is selected and prepared for export. There is of 

 course danger that the moth may be accidentally dissemi- 

 nated in this countr^^ hy Massachusetts nurserymen, — a 

 danger which we believe they will carefully guard against, 

 as they have been fully advised concerning the matter by 

 our efficient State Nursery Inspector, Dr. II. T. Fernald. 



* Kirkland, Report Massachusetts Horticultural Society, 1902. 



