THE BKOWX-TAIL MOTH. 53 



larvce, or an average of 25.2 bugs to a tree. Many of the 

 bugs were mating-, and it was not unusual to see two bugs 

 both feeding on a single larva. The wasp made a business 

 of tearing into the webs, extracting the larvte, rolling them 

 up into a ball by means of the fore-feet and jaws, and carry- 

 ing them ofl". 



In the spring of 1899 Mr. Kirkland placed three webs of 

 the brown-tail moth on as many wild cherry trees in rear 

 of his house at Maiden, Avith a view to ^studying the habits 

 of the caterpillars, the locality being alread}' somewhat 

 infested. As soon as the larvse emerged and commenced to 

 feed, predaceous bugs of the genus Podmts appeared, and 

 in less than a fortniglit had completely wiped out each 

 caterpillar colony. 



The humble toad must also be reckoned in the list of the 

 enemies of the brown-tail moth. During the early sum- 

 mer, when the caterpillars are swarming, large numbers are 

 eaten by toads. Seven toads taken on infested estates May 

 24-26, 1897, contained respectively 7, 5, 0, 3, 8, 3 and 12 

 brown-tail moth larvre. The work of toads is more notice- 

 able, however, during the flying season, when they assemble 

 under arc lam})s, and devour the fluttering moths as they 

 fall stunned or injured from the lamps above. Four toads 

 taken under arc lamps at Somerville on the night of July 

 16, 1897, contained respectively: 11 male moths, 4 female 

 moths ; 6 male moths, 4 female moths ; 7 male moths, 4 

 female moths ; 9 male moths, 8 female moths. 



Bats also are worthy of mention among the natural ene- 

 mies of the moth. Where the moths swarm thickest around 

 the lamps, the bats arc constantly in evidence, their noise- 

 less work being easy to trace by the tailing of white moth 

 wings. At Maiden, on the night of eluly 14, 1898, several 

 bats were noticed destroying the moths around an arc liuht. 

 The followint; morningover two hundred winij:s of the brown- 

 tail moth were counted on the ground beneath that particu- 

 lar lami). Allowing four wing» to each moth, this would 

 indicate the destruction of fifty imagoes by the bats at this 

 one point. 



It occasionally happens that the young hibernating cater- 



