INSECTS AFFECTING PARK AND WOODLAND TREES 121 



moth is the fact, previously noted, that the female moth does not rt\-. 

 This compels the insect to rely on other agencies to a great extent for its 

 distribution over the country, because, though the partly grown caterpillars 

 are good travelers, they can not, relying on their own efforts, cover o-reat 

 distances. Experience with the insect has shown that people and vehicles 

 constantly passing from an infested area to a clean one are among the most 

 efficient carriers of the pest in the caterpillar stage. The insect can be 

 conveyed long distances in the egg, and it is rather surprising that such has 

 not occurred more frequently. Any hard object allowed to remain near an 

 infested tree during July, while oviposition is in progress, is very likely to 

 be infested with one or more clusters of eggs. The intelligent, energetic 

 officials, who were in charge of the work against the gipsy moth, took 

 special pains to prevent such dissemination, and now that nothing is 

 done, there is great danger of the insect being carried with household 

 effects to most distant points, specially if packed in boxes and barrels 

 which have been allowed to lie where females could deposit eggs on them. 

 Fortunately for New York State, this pest is most abundant north and 

 northwest of Boston, and with this area we have less direct railroad com- 

 munication. Still as the badly infested area becomes greater along the 

 line of the Fitchburg railroad and extends to include the terminus of the 

 Boston and Albany line, the chances of the insect being brought into the 

 State will be very largely increased. This dangerous condition was empha- 

 sized by finding egg masses in the summer of 1904 on freight cars 

 and while in many cases cars are not left where young caterpillars would 

 readil\- find suitable food, in some places this is true and no one can predict 

 where the pest will appear next. 



Natural enemies. This insect has a number of natural enemies in this 

 country, but unfortunately none of them are aggressive enough to war- 

 rant the placing of much dependence on them, though they should be 

 encouraged by all possible means. 



Mr Forbush states that about a dozen native song birds are very useful 

 in devouring one stage or another of this moth and tliat about 29 other 



