:w 



Mil-: lUx'oW \-|- AIL MOTH. 



lhnr».u;:li :ii»a intcllii:ri)t iiiamuT, udjoining municipalities 

 M.ui«'tiiiM> lu'-rlrct the moth entirely, or combat it only 

 iu a hjilf-hi-Jirto(i niiiniur. This has resulted in undoing each 

 v«ir II largf part of the good work accomplished in localities 

 'prfvi«)uslv freed fioni the moth. This state of aftairs gives 

 HI) ftdditioiial reason for the necessity of thorough sys- 

 teinatie \v«.rk over the entire district, if the moth is to be 

 Mippressed. 



PviM-l I, N'KTTI.IN(i VnoM TFIE CaTEIITILLAKS. 



Coiiu-ident with the swarming of the cateri)illars along 

 f»'nt-e>«, walk> and on house walls, a very painful cutaneous 

 «-nipti«iM di'veloped among citizens of the worst-infested dis- 

 tricts. This atfeetion (U'veloped usually on the hands, face 

 or neek, >pread nipidiv, and jn-oduced an intolerable itching. 

 At Hr^t the eauM- >>{' the trouble was not recognized by the 

 l<Hal physicians, and some anxiety was felt, at least on the 

 jMirt nf the sulferers. lest a new epidemic disease had made 

 iu appeanmce. It was soon traced, however, to its proper 

 .source, — the htui> nf the brown-tall moth caterpillar. This 

 fettture <»f an inseet outbreak is so unusual in America that 

 it is worthy of particular mention. I^ricfly stated, it was 

 found that whenever the living caterpillars, or even the 

 cjist-«»n" raterpillar skins formed in molting or spinning the 

 cocoons, came in e(»iitact with the human flesh, the eruption 

 followed Ji-s a natural but painful se(iuencc. 



This nettling of the human skin by caterpillars is not an 

 unuKunI occurrence, but insects causing it, other than the 

 bntwn-tail njoth, are fortunatel}' rare. One of our large 

 •■at4rpi liars, not uncommon on ash and apple, the larva of 

 the lo moth (Antoincris io)^ is armed with spines that poison 

 the skin ; while the same holds true with the southern sad- 

 cllelmek eaterpillar { Enipvctia s(hniiha). The injury in 

 tlu'hc vsu^A i.s conipanil)l<- to the stinging of ])ees or wasps, 

 n iHii-tonouH substance gjiining entrance beneath the skin. 

 Coninion illustrations of nettling from eaterpillar hairs are 

 found in the case of the hickory eaterpillar {Ilalesidota 

 riin/(i) or the white-marked tussock moth { Xofolophuf^ leu- 

 coMtif/iiui >. Til- iiijui-\ from the \\:i\v> of these insects is not 



