August, '11] ROSENFELD: INSECTS IN SPANISH MOSS 399 



ascertain the number of boll-weevils, Anthonomus grandis Eoh., passing 

 the ^\^nter in this excellent hibernating material. The results of these 

 investigations, so far as the boll-weevil is concerned, have been pub- 

 lished by Mr. Newell and Mr. Malcolm Dougherty in Circular 31 of 

 the State Crop Pest Commission of Louisiana.^ It occurred to the 

 writer at the time that it would be of interest to collect all insects 

 occurring in this moss, as well as all spiders, keeping an accurate 

 record of the number of each species taken, as well as the amount of 

 moss in each lot examined. Notes were also to be kept as to whether 

 the insects found were alive or dead, but it was discovered that all 

 insects taken were alive, this point illustrating, as Messrs. Newell 

 and Dougherty have already pointed out, the excellence of the Spanish 

 moss as hibernating quarters. From the number of insects and spiders 

 taken from each lot of moss it was an easy matter to calculate the 

 approximate number which would occur, in similar proportion, to a 

 ton of the moss from the same location. While these calculations 

 might not always be verified in actual practice, it is more than probable 

 that the figures given represent fairly accurately the conditions as 

 regards habitation of the various insects in the moss at different times, 

 in terms of number of insects per ton. Of course this might not be the 

 case where nests of ants were found in the rotten twigs among the 

 moss, as in the case of Cremastogaster lineolata on December 23, 1909. 

 In this case only the adult ants actually taken from the moss were 

 counted. 



There can be no doubt that Spanish moss is much sought after by a 

 large number of insects as hibernating quarters, as is evidenced by the 

 much greater number of insects taken from the moss during the ^vinter 

 months than during the warmer month of June. This will also be 

 seen to hold good for the spiders. 



Practically all insects taken were in the adult state, unless otherwise 

 noted in the records. During the examinations of the moss, three or 

 four Geometrid larvae were taken, but were not bred to maturity. 



The writer has pondered much over the best method of presenting 

 this data. It was at first thought advisable to average the ^\inter and 

 summer lots of moss, thus reducing the report to two tables, but this 

 was later considered inadvisable on account of the fact that a study of 

 the increase or decrease of the number of several species for the different 

 periods of the year might be of much interest. Hence it has at last 

 been decided to publish the findings of each examination in full, even 

 at the risk of making the tables of undue length. There is given below, 

 therefore, in chronological order, the number of each species of insect 

 and spider collected from each lot of moss, together with date of col- 



1 Page 168, Footnote. 



