ECONOMIC ZOOLOGY ENTOMOLOGY. 555 



Life history observations here reported were made during August and early 

 September, 1909. The eggs are laid in round or oval, flat, green patches, each 

 containing an average of about 117 eggs. As many as 650 eggs were deposited 

 by a single moth, the average of 305 eggs to a moth being recorded. Eggs 

 kept in an incubator at a mean temperature of 80° F. hatched in 6.67 days, 

 while a lot kept at a mean temperature of 70° required 10.18 days. " The larvae 

 when first hatched are extremely minute and closely resemble the leaf in color. 

 They crawl about for 3 or 4 days feeding here and there and growing rapidly. 

 At the end of this period the young larva begins to form a protection for itself 

 by pulling 2 or 3 leaves together, or more frequently a young larva will fold over 

 a single leaf forming a tube open at either end. The leaves are held together 

 by silken threads. The larva feeds upon the inside of the tube or makes short 

 excursions to adjacent leaves which are pulled down and attached to the origi- 

 nal tube, so that as the larva increases in size it also increases the size of the 

 nest." Before pupating the larva draws the leaves together more firmly than 

 usual so that they practically form a cocoon, to the silk of which the pupa is 

 attached by the hooks of the cremaster. At a temperature of 80° the average 

 length of the larval stage was 32.09 days, and the pupal stage varies from 5 to 8 

 days, with an average of 6.41 days. Out of 62 pupje, 35 were males and 27 

 females. About 30 per cent of the pupse failed to transform. The adults 

 emerge during the night and if not disturbed will remain in the vicinity of the 

 pupal cases throughout the following day. At a temperature of 70° moths were 

 found to commence oviposition in from 1 to 6 days, or on the average in 3.45 

 days. Egg deposition may not, however, all occur at once, as one moth may 

 deposit several egg masses at different times. The life of the moth when kept 

 at 70° is shown to be from 11 to 20 days, or on the average 14.6 days. Tech- 

 nical descriptions are given of the several stages. 



Parasites are said to be the most effective means of holding the pest in check. 

 " The outbreak observed by us furnished a case of the most complete parasitism 

 we have ever seen. When first observed in late July from one-third to one-half 

 of the eggs were parasitized by a species of Trichogramma. Two weeks later 

 it was difficult to find an egg mass in which over 95 per cent of the eggs did not 

 contain the black pupae of the parasite and in most cases 99 to 100 per cent were 

 affected." 



In experiments with hydrocyanic-acid gas it was found necessary to increase 

 the strength to 1 oz. for 150 cu. ft. of space in order to Ivill even a minority of 

 the larvae and moths, but this strength seriously injured the plants. Results 

 from spraying with arsenate of lead 3 lbs. to the barrel were obscured by the 

 almost total parasitism of the eggs. It is thought that reasonable diligence 

 in hand picking will control the pest. Large numbers of moths were caught 

 by trap lanterns set in pans of water which were placed throughout the houses. 



A complete bibliography is appended to the account. 



Report of the superintendent of g'ipsy and brown-tail moth work, A. E. 

 Stene {Ann. Rpt. Bd. Agr. R. I., 24 {1908), pp. 31-1,6, pis. 6).— A report of the 

 work carried on in Rhode Island, which is stated to have resulted in a steady 

 decrease during the past 3 years in the number of insects throughout the entire 

 infested territory. 



The spruce budworm, A. Gibson {Canad. Forestry Jour., 5 {1909), Xo. '/. pp. 

 143, 144). — Tortrix fumiferana is reported to have been a source of considerable 

 injury to spruce and balsam trees in the Upper Gatineau country of the prov- 

 ince of Quebec, and also to have been found working in British Columbia. 



The infested area in Ontario was examined late in July by the author, who 

 found that the caterpillars had evidently become full grown during the first and 



35128— No. 6—10 5 



