1917 ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 83 



decidedly on the increase in New Jersey in 1895, tlie outbreak being tlie worst 

 in his experience. Howard also mentions it in the ' Year Book of the U. S. 

 Dept. of Agr.,' 1895, pp. oG 1-381, iind says that it did much damage in Washington, 

 D.C., in 1895. In 1896 it was still fairly abundant in some localities for Dearness 

 in the ' Ann. Eep. Ent. Soc. Ont.,' p. 24, says " I know of two localities where 

 every black ash, of which there were a great many trees, was completely defoliated. 

 Weed (-Bull. 59. N. 11. Agr. Exp. Stn.,' Nov., 1898) also recorded the cater- 

 pilUirs as " extraordinarily abundant " in New Hampshire and as causing serious 

 injury. An infestation occurred in Maine in 1899, and probably in New York as 

 well, since Felt gave an account of the insect that year in the Country Gentleman, 

 p. 593. 



The insect does not seem to have attracted attention again until 1903, which 

 marks the beginning of our latest outbreak. In the ' Ann. Bep. Ent. Soc. Ont.,' 

 for that year, Fletcher records it as " noticeably on the increase of late." Two 

 years later Lochhead' found it " unusually numerous '' at Guelph although it 

 was apparently still quite rare in some parts of the Province (Ontario). In 1906, 

 Young'' (Ottawa) says its conspicuous nests were noticed in many orchards and 

 also in the forest. In the ' Annual Eeports of the Entojnological Society of 

 Ontario * for 1908 and 1909, its great abundance was noted by Gibson and 

 Lochhead, and in the 1910 Beport, Gibson states (p. 13) " During my residence 

 in Ottawa. since 1899 I have never seen so much injury by this well known pest 

 as was done this year. It has been abundant this year all through Eastern 

 Canada and the United States." iGibson' again refers to it as being present in 

 *' unusually injurious numbers " in 1912. The next year the infestation began 

 to decrease and in 1914 the insect practically disappeared. This last outbreak 

 was by far the most widespread and severe of any which have been recorded. 



Central Region. 



The first record of the presence of the Fall Webworm in the Central Begion 

 is given by Walsh, in the Practical Entomologist, July, 1866, p. 101. In this, 

 he states that this insect was reported by Marion Hobart as found on apple and 

 other trees and more commonly on pignut-hickory in Illinois. The following 

 year, he says (Practical Entomologist, March, 1877, 2, p. 72) that reports from 

 Illinois indicate many nests on wild cherry the previous autumn. In 1868 Walsh 

 and Biley ('Am. Ent.,' 1868, Nov., p. 59) record them as having "covered the 

 hickory trees with webs " at Madison, Wisconsin. Three years later, in his 

 * Second Beport of the Insects of Illinois,' p. 18, Walsh writes " The Fall web- 

 worm has heretofore not been regarded as holding more than a third rank in 

 the catalogue of noxious insects but they seem to be on the increase this season." 

 The same year, Biley states in his ' Third Beport of the Insects of Missouri/ 

 p. 130, that this insect was " unprecedently numerous all over the country during 

 tbe summer and fall of 1870." Kridelbaugh* reports its ravages in Iowa during 

 the same year. 



The next available record of the insect was given by Osborn in the Iowa State 

 Leader, Oct. lith, 1882. Four years later, its ravages were reported in this region 

 by Weed in the Prairie Farmer," July 24th, 1886, p. 409, and in 1888 MacMillan' 



'190.'. Lochhead. Wm.. Ann. Rep. Ent. Soc. Ont., p. 137. 



=1906. Young, C. H.. Ann. Rep. Ent. Soc. Ont.. p. 16. 



■1912. Gibson Arthur, Ann. Rep. Ent. ^Soc. Ont.. p. 15. 



*1871. Kridelbaugh, S. H., Ann. Rep. Iowa State Hort. Soc, pp. 15:M67. 



"1888. MacMillan, Conway, Bull. Agr. Exp. Stn., Neb., Feb. 18SS, pp. 64-68 and 96-100. 



