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not be attended with any possible risk, as the insects introduced feed 
solely on the larvee of the gypsy moth and other allied pests, and in 
the absence of such food themselves perish. If national aid is to be 
granted to the State of Massachusetts in its warfare against this pest, 
such aid might very properly be in the direction of securing, import- 
ing, and installing such natural enemies. It should not be lost sight 
of, however, that any work of this character is purely experimental, 
and its value to be determined only after an interval of four or five 
years or more. It would probably take at least two summers in 
Europe to make effective importations of the parasites, and two or 
three more years would be necessary for their large multiplication in 
the gypsy-moth colonies about Boston. Furthermore, such importa- 
tion might in the end prove not to be especially valuable as a means 
in the control of the pest. Therefore, during such experimental work 
the control of the pest by standard means should be kept up over the 
entire area infested with the exception of the particular spots of 
infestation, or colonies set aside for experiment with natural enemies. 
THE BROWN-TAIL MOTH. 
(Buproctis chrysorrh@a Linn.) 
The brown-tail moth is now even better known about Boston than 
is the gypsy moth. The widespread information relative to the 
brown-tail moth arises chiefly from the fact that the hairs of the 
larvie are distinctly poisonous and nettling, and thousands of people 
throughout the range of this pest have been poisoned the present sum- 
mer or during past vears. The hairs produce on sensitive subjects 
(and very few are entirely immune) a rash or nettling, with some fes- 
tering, which lasts for a week or more, and is attended with more or 
less itching and irritation. This poisoning may result from the 
falling of the caterpillar on the neck and hands or clothing of the 
passer-by, or from the loosened hairs shed from the cast larval skin 
at the time of transformation to the chrysalis stage. 
The loosened hairs, or the shed skin, are blown about by the winds 
and frequently attach to clothing hung up in yards for drying. By 
this means they are conveyed to the skin, resulting often in very gen- 
eral inflammation. 
In addition to its very distinct importance as a source of discomfort 
to human beings, the brown-tail moth is an important tree pest, and 
is common in orchards in Europe. It was accidentally introduced 
into Somerville (Boston) and was brought to the attention of the 
gypsy moth committee in the spring of 1897. The investigations con- 
ducted at the time by the gypsy moth committee led to the belief that 
it was introduced by a floral establishment, which had been importing 
roses from Holland and France previous to 1890. It seems probable 
