THE LEOPARD MOTH. 4 
this insect in check in the suburbs. There are the best of reasons for 
believing that birds like the woodpeckers, which naturally look over 
the bark and collect all kinds 
of borers, prey on this spe- 
cles; even sparrows, it is be- 
lieved, sometimes destroy the 
eggs and young larve, as 
they are known to devour the 
moths. It is also believed 
that when the insect succeeds 
in getting away from the 
outskirts of cities its enemies 
increase in number, many in- 
sectivorous birds aiding in 
keeping it down. 
During the day the moths 
are fed upon by birds and 
later by bats and night-fly- 
ing birds. The habit of the 
larvee of deserting one twig 
and migrating to a larger 
one undoubtedly leaves them 
exposed to the same natural 
enemies, as this migration 
has been observed to take 
place in the daytime as well 
as after nightfall. It follows 
that the protection of native 
birds, especially the wood- 
peckers and those of related 
habits, will greatly assist in 
restraining the undue in- 
crease and spread of this 
borer. 
Squirrels, especially the 
gray squirrel, which is be- 
coming common in our large 
cities, have also been ob- 
served feasting on the larve, 
but neither sparrow nor 
squirrel should be encour- 
aged because of this habit, 
since both are responsible for 
birds. 
lic. 4.—Work of the leopard moth in branch 
of maple. About natural size. (Original. ) 
driving away many of our native 
