18 THE REPORT OF THE No. 19 



to extract nutriment from it — the Ash is a tree that requires much moisture ! 

 The unfavourable summer was followed by a very severe winter. 



To these consecutive circumstances I ascribe the loss of so many of our 

 Ash trees, and not to insect depredations.* 



The two Canadian species of Orgyia may be easily distinguished in 

 every stage of their existence. 



The eggs of Antiqua resemble a cluster of whitey-brown beads; those of 

 Leucostigma to a dab of cake-frosting. 



The larva of Antiqua has a hlach head; that of Leucostigma has a red 

 one. 



The difference in the moths has already been sufficiently shown. 



It is impossible that the Tussocks can ever be as destructive as the Gypsy 

 Moth has proved itself. Their females have no wings — they lay their eggs 

 on the cocoons from which they crept. So the advance of the species is 

 slow, and is made by the caterpillars. But the female Gypsy Moth has 

 ample wings; and, though it is heavy with its burden of eggs, it can, and 

 does, take flight for other localities. Its caterpillar, moreover, attains a 

 much greater size, and is more voracious than either of our Tussock larvae. 



The close of the autumn is undoubtedly the season for reducing the 

 numbers of Orgyia antiqua and Orgyia leucostigma. The egg-clusters of 

 both species may be easily peeled from the trees with the thumb and finger. 

 They should then be thrown into the fire. So the numbers of the creatures 

 can be kept down with ease and without cruelty. 



THE TUSSOCK MOTH SITUATION IN MONTREAL. 

 By Henry H. Lyman, M.A., Montreal, Que. 



Until Montreal was visited early last spring by a gentleman from Lin- 

 coln Park, Chicago, we hardly knew that we had a Tussock Moth situation 

 in our city. Those of us who know about such things, of course, knew that 

 we had the Tussock Moth, that, like the poor, it was always with us and al- 

 ways likely to be with us. But this gentleman, seeing a good many &g^ 

 masses on trees, sounded the alarm, and addressed a letter of warning to the 

 President of the Natural History Society, who happened to be a Professor 

 of Botany. 



The newspapers took the matter up, and one especially devoted much 

 space and energy to a sensational account of the "arrival" of this much 

 dreaded pest, and, evidently confusing it with the Gypsy Moth, told of 

 the millions which had been spent in the United States in fighting it. 



A meeting of the Natural History Society was called to consider the 

 situation, to which the public were invited, and about twenty, all told, re- 

 sponded — the Dominion Entomologist being present to throw light on the 

 subject. 



After considerable discussion, a Tussock Moth Committee was apjpointed 

 which later waited upon the Finance Committee and asked for a grant to 

 be used in fighting the pest. The Committee voted the munificent sum of |100 

 for this purpose. The Society then offered a bounty of 25c. per hundred for 

 the e^^ masses (Fig. 7^), and the school children began to collect them, and 

 much good was anticipated, as the amount voted would have paid bounties 



•The trees were out down thii fall (1905). The wood was found to be perfectly sound 



quite free from borers. 



