52 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



enemy of lindens, has risen with phenomenal rapidity from the 

 obscurity of recent years. The past season has been most remarkable 

 for the extensive llij^hts of the snow-white moths [pi. i, fig. 2] in 

 many cities and villages, not only in New York State but in other 

 sections. The moths were so numerous about electric lights as to 

 attract widespread attention. Their advent in New York city 

 occurred about July 16 and the effect was aptly compared by various 

 writers to a snowstorm. In the well lighted sections myriads could 

 be seeu circling about the electric lights and invading many bril- 

 liantly lighted places in such numbers as to be a veritable nuisance. 

 The following morning the arc lights were found choked with the 

 insects, and characteristic groups of snow-white wings here and 

 there were mute evidences to the voracity of the English sparrow. 

 This bird, despite its numerous failings, destroyed thousands of the 

 moths, hunting them without mercy until there were comparatively 

 few survivors from the night before. The abundance of the insects 

 and the extended area where swarms were present is most remark- 

 able. Aside from New York city, where the largest number of the 

 moths seemed to be present, they were reported by the local press 

 as swarming at Nyack, Ossining, Newburgh, Hudson, Albany, Troy, 

 Cohoes, Ballston, Saratoga, Glens Falls, Schenectady, Amsterdam, 

 Johnsonville, Gloversville, Little Falls, Herkimer, Ilion and Utica. 

 It is interesting to note that the moths appeared in Albany and 

 other northern localities about five days later than at New York 

 city. Aside from the above mentioned records, the local press of 

 numerous other cities and villages contained brief notices of the 

 swarming of this species, though with no record as to local occur- 

 rence. The widespread character of the flight is well illustrated 

 by authentic records of hosts occurring at Newark, N. J-. Spring- 

 field, Mass. and Ottawa, Can., the latter flight occurring July 23d. 

 This visitation is all the more striking when it is recalled that in 

 recent years at least, this moth has been comparatively rare, hardly 

 attracting notice for a generation, despite the fact that in earlier 

 years it was considered an important enemy of lindens. 



The remarkable local swarms recorded above are probably due to 

 conditions being generally favorable for the multiplication of the 

 species throughout the infested area. There is a possibility that 

 some of the flights were due to swarms drifting with the wind from 

 defoliated tracts lying at some distance. This is hardly an adequate 

 explanation for the presence of many of the local swarms, particu- 

 larly as observations in Albany show that the linden foliage in the 



