107 



cases ot" the Kiii-opcaii mantis {Mnntis rt'ligiosa) have been procured 

 from central Ne\v York, and we liope that this speci<'s may soon aid 

 in eheekin"; sonio of our troublesome species of plaiit-liee and (»th«*r 



insects. 



THE BROWN-TAIL MOTH IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. 



By C'l.AKKNcic M. Wki:i), hnrhnm, X. If. 



Eastei'n Massachusetts has been for some time tlie home of two 

 insect pests of special intei-est to the country at larti'c. I refer, of 

 course, to the brown-tail luoth and th(> .uyv>^v uioth. As the tir^^t of 

 these has within the last four years Iuhmi oradually invadino- New 

 Hampshire. I ha\e thought a few notes concerninti' it would be worth 

 l)rine"in«i;- before you. 



At our last meetino- I reyjorted to you that ai)parently the l)rown-tail 

 moth was lirst introduced into New Hampshire in l.si»*J by means of a 

 severe <jale which carried the moths alon^- the eastern coast of Massa- 

 chusetts. A wintcM- nest of tht> insect was found in the town of .Sea- 

 brook. N. II., ill December, 1S!»'J, by Mr. F. C. Moulton, of the <(ypsy 

 moth commission. 



rpon the passai^e of our nursery-inspection law last March 1 took 

 steps to ascertain to whjit extent the insect had spread in the south- 

 eastern corner of the State. It very soon became evident that all 

 the towns alono- the coast, at least, were already infested, and that the 

 insect was slowly but surely spreadinof. Later investijjations showed 

 that very few moths were in the State away from the coast. 



The re^non about Newburyport is very generally infested )>y the 

 l)rown-tail moth. The evidence in hand indicates that the electric cars 

 rii lining from then* to Portsmouth and Exeter have been the most 

 important means of distribution, as the nests have been (juite generally 

 found along the car lines. This is what might be expected from the 

 fact that these cars ar(> continually (oming from regions where the cat- 

 erpillars are abundant on the trees overhanging the streets through 

 which the cars run. Such caterpillars, frequently dropping as they 

 do. might easily be eaiii<-<l on the cars themselves, ov on tlu> persons 

 or etl'ects of passengers. In a less degree the freight and ])assenger 

 cars of the railroads njay readily serve to distribute the ])ests. as well 

 as various otlu>r sc^rts of vehicles, especially automobiles, which pass in 

 great mnniuMs through the infested area to n'gions in New Ilampshiie 

 now un infested. 



One of the most serious etl'ects of the pnvsence of the bi-own-tail 

 moth in a conununity is that of the peculiar skin disease it may pro- 

 duce. The hairs of the caterpillars are furnished with miimte l»arl)s. 

 When the caterpillars molt these barlted hairs arc shed with the -kin. 



