■^^^ JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY [Vol. 15 



called attention to the ravages of Eois ptelearia (Riley) in the Herbarium of the 

 United States National Museum, and the late W. G. Wright in the same volume, p 

 zn, spoke of the insect as feeding upon stored hay. 



My attention has just been called by Professor O. E. Jennings, the Curator of the 

 Herbarium of the Carnegie Museum, to the fact that he has discovered that certain 

 niatenal recently collected by him was found to be suffering from the infestation of 

 the same insect Vigorous steps have been taken to guard against its spread in the 

 Herbarium of the Carnegie Museum. Nevertheless it is found to have attacked 

 quite a number of fascicles of plants dried within the last twelve months, and which 

 had not yet been poisoned or permanently placed in the Herbarium. As noted by 

 others, the larvae seem to have a preference for the flowers of the Compositae. 

 Today I inspected an unpoisoned bundle of plants, in which the insect was found 

 feeding upon the blossoms of various species of Bidens, Solidago, and Eupatorium. 

 It also had ruined a specimen of Gentiana and of Pamassia. It feeds greedily upon 

 the berries of Cornus and SmUax. I have not taken the time to make an inventory 

 of all the species of plants which have been attacked, but it evidently is a very 

 dangerous and ahnost omnivorous herbarium-pest. We shall succeed, no doubt 

 m eradicating it. but I beg my botanical friends to take warning. The creature' 

 which was first reported as feeding upon herbarium specimens from the Southwest! 

 seems to have spread as far as Pennsylvania, and great vigilance will be required 

 to guard against its ravages in the future. 



C^'^^'^^ie Museum ^ j Holland, 



' ■ Director Emeritus. 



Gipsy Moth and European Corn Borer. An important conference called by 

 Commissioner of Farms and Markets, Berne A. Pyrke, was held at Albany, N. Y., 

 Nov. 16. The Federal Government was represented by Drs. L. O Howard C l' 

 Marlatt, E. D. Ball, W. R. Walton, and Messrs. A. F. Burgess, H. L. Mclntyre,' 

 L. H. Worthley and D. J. Caffrey; the Dominion of Canada by L. S. McLaine of the 

 Inspection Service and J. M. Swaine, Forest Entomologist; the State of New Hamp- 

 shire by W. A. Osgood; the State of Vermont by Harold A. Bailey in Charge of 

 Insect Suppression; the State of Massachusetts by Dr. A. W. Gilbert, Commissioner 

 of Agriculture, R. H. Allen, Charies O. Bailey of the Conservation Commission and 

 George A. Smith; the State of Rhode Island by Ralph A. Sheals, Assistant Ento- 

 mologist; the State of Connecticut by Dr. W. E. Britton, State Entomologist- 

 the State of New Jersey by Dr. T. J. Headlee, State Entomologist; the State of New 

 York by C. R. Pettis and W. G. Howard of the Conservation Commission; Com- 

 missioners Pyrke and Hogue, Dr. G. G. Atwood and B. D. VanBuren of the De- 

 partment of Farms and Markets; Prof. P. J. Parrott of the Geneva Experiment 

 Station; Prof. G. W. Herrick of the State College of Agriculture and Dr. E. P. 

 Felt and D. B. Young of the State Museum. The N. Y. State Forestry Association 

 was represented by its secretary, J. R. Simmons. The broader phases of the prob- 

 lems m relation to these two insects were discussed and substantial agreement 

 reached in regard to a general policy. The more important conclusions will be made 

 public in the near future. 



