236 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 
Last year the so-called forest tent caterpillar, C/iscocampa disstria 
Hiibn., was very injurious in certain parts of the state, stripping the 
foliage from hundreds of acres of maples and other trees in Delaware 
county and in other portions of the state. It was hoped that the ravages 
by this species would not be repeated the present season, but such was 
not the case. Examples of this caterpillar were received from Glens 
Falls, N. Y., on Juné 2, with the statement that they were very numerous 
and injuring the maples seriously. At Trenton Falls, N. Y., the cater- 
pillars were very abundant, and injurious in the woods, though the 
trees were only partially defoliated. At Russell, St Lawrence county, 
the leaves were stripped from 125 acres of maple-trees, most probably 
by this species. It was also reported to me as very injurious this year in 
Otsego, Delaware and Greene counties. 
Mamestra picta //arris. A remarkable abundance of larvae in 
timothy hay was brought to my notice on July 13. Mr W.C. Browning, 
of Alexandria Bay, states that he had been putting in hay trom a 20-acre 
lot and the next morning found the surface of the mow literally alive with 
caterpillars, identified from examples sent as those of this species. Large 
numbers must have been present in the field, as they had probably been 
gathered up with the hay accidentally. In response to an inquiry, Mr 
Browning informed me that the caterpillars had not been observed except 
on this field. Last year they had entirely destroyed his crop of oats, and 
this season they were much more numerous than before. 
Xylina antennatta Walker. One of the most interesting and 
remarkable outbreaks of the year occurred at Schenectady, N. Y., 
when hundreds of silver maples were defoliated by the caterpillars 
belonging to the species named above. My attention was called 
to the insect by a young man bringing me about # pint of larvae 
with a story of their destructiveness. On visiting the city, it was 
found that the reports were true. The soft maples were practically 
stripped. Numerous larvae were seen on the trunks, in some cases 50 to 
too on a single tree. Many were seen along the walks and in the road- 
ways bordered by the maples. Even were one deprived of sight, the 
olfactory organs could easily detect their presence from the peculiar odor 
emanating from the hosts of caterpillars. ‘There were no indications of 
the insects’ work in Albany, though only 17 miles distant, but along the 
Mohawk river as far west as Herkimer, on the Raquette river in St Law- 
rence county and in Schoharie county many soft maples were defoliated, 
indicating the work of the same insect, possibly, though the species 
could not be determined because no examples were submitted. The 

a Determined by Drs H. G. Dyarand J B. Smith. 
