1910] Reiff — Liparis dispar L. 7a 
fallen singly to the ground, can easily withstand the winter even without 
their protective covering. Simply tearing off the eggs from their 
attachment, which is occasionally done in private yards and similar 
places, has absolutely no effect in killing the eggs. 
In connection with these experiments something may be said con- 
cerning the sporadic diffusion of the Gypsy moth in the New England 
States. As is well known, Liparis dis par frequently makes its appear- 
ance in places far removed from any sort of traffic, for example in the 
middle of a wooded area, in which any introduction by railroads, 
vehicles or other means of transportation is entirely excluded. There 
has hitherto been no explanation of the way in which the gypsy moth 
reached these isolated places. I will pass over the supposition, which 
one hears here and there, but which cannot be taken seriously, that 
birds drop caterpillars, which they have previously picked up, and 
thus aid in the spread and dissemination of the gypsy moth. In the 
first place, a caterpillar which had been dropped from the bill of a 
bird, would be in so very few cases so slightly injured that it could 
develop into a moth, and in the second place, at least one male and 
one female caterpillar would have to be dropped in precisely the same 
place to provide for the possible establishment of a dispar colony. 
Also the explanation of dissemination by the dropping of a fertilized 
gravid dispar female in the same manner is not at all plausible. The 
dispar females almost always deposit their eggs immediately after 
fertilization has taken place, so that the chance of birds capturing a 
fertilized female with eggs is very improbable. Furthermore a dropped 
dispar female, injured by a bird’s bill would hardly be able still to lay 
its eggs. 
Lately there has appeared in the fifth edition of the “‘ Naturgeschichte 
der deutschen Végel” by C. G. Friderich, Stuttgart, Verlag fiir Natur- 
kunde Sproesser & Nigele, 1905, a highly interesting paper by 
Alexander Bau ‘“‘Ueber Nutzen und Schaden der Vogel und iiber 
Vogelschutz.” A short report of this article is given in No. 35, Vol. 
XVIII of the ‘ Entomologische Zeitschrift,” Guben (Germany) 1905. 
As a result of very exact investigations, which the author undertook 
and for which he was particularly well fitted through his extensive 
experience as entomologist as well as ornithologist and forester, Alex- 
ander Bau reached the conclusion that the assumed economic benefit of 
insectivorous birds should be constantly questioned. The part of his 
paper of perhaps the greatest interest deals with examinations of the 
