REPORT OF THE STATE ENTOMOLOGIST 1902 95 
Its presence in this country was first brought to the attention 
of Prof. C. H. Fernald in 1897, when it was learned that the 
species had become established in numbers in Cambridge and 
Somerville. During that year it was found that the pest occurred 
over the greater part of these two towns and Everett, in a small 
part of Medford near the Somerville line, and that there was 
a single colony in Malden. The following year a gale of wind oc- 
curred during the height of the flying season, and the moths were 
carried for a distance of 10 or 12 miles to the north and north- 
east, as stated by Professor Fernald. The rapidity with which 
the insect has extended its range is well illustrated by a table 
of the estimated area infested by the moth in the early years. 
This was prepared by Mr Kirkland and is as follows: | 
Area infested fall of Square miles 
Mie UGE spapse ented. cle. oft falas shave, axa sttoletuchs Bictets je 29 
MS Sitar a mete eepeferetreh strc pee sclausts Geese ae 4: eva,lorte 158 
MSDS eee pasate ate ertustaeiarecave se cide etela os 448 
SOO para nce gee brag awe crete tsce ay asec Mel wiave fier alfeyaiays« 928 
It will be seen by the above that the insect is rapidly extending 
its range, and it is now known to occur at Kittery Me. and at 
Seabrook N. H. 
Description. The male moths have a wing spread of about 114 
inches, are pure white with a satiny luster on the fore wings and 
have a conspicuous reddish brown tuft at the tip of the abdomen 
[pl. 1, fig. 5, 6]. Sometimes there are a few black spots on the 
fore wings. The antennae are white and fringed with pale yel- 
lowish hairs. 
The females have a wing spread of about 134 inches, are the 
same color as the males, except that they have no black spots on 
the wings, and the anal tuft is larger and lighter in color, while 
the antennae are shorter and with shorter fringes. 
The eggs are laid in July in masses composed of 200 to 300 
and placed usually on the underside of the leaves [pl. 1, fig. 1], 
where they are covered with brown hairs from the tip of the 
abdomen. They hatch in a short time, and the young feed during 
the rest of the season on the surface of the leaves, a few days 
only being required to skeletonize them. The caterpillars begin 
to make a nest in which they hibernate while still young. It is 
constructed on the twigs and is made by drawing together a few 
