52 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 
enemy of lindens, has risen with phenomenal rapidity from the 
obscurity of recent years. The past season has been most remarkable 
for the extensive flights of the snow-white moths [pl. 1, fig. 2] in 
many cities and villages, not only in New York State but in other 
sections. The moths were so numerous about electric lights as to 
attract widespread attention. Their advent in New York city 
occurred about July 16 and the effect was aptly compared by various 
writers to a snowstorm. In the well lighted sections myriads could 
be seen circling about the electric lights and invading many bril- 
liantly lighted places in such numbers as to be a veritable nuisance. 
The following morning the arc lights were found choked with the 
insects, and characteristic groups of snow-white wings here and 
there were mute evidences to the voracity of the English sparrow. 
This bird, despite its numerous failings, destroyed thousands of the 
moths, hunting them without mercy until there were comparatively 
few survivors from the night before. The abundance of the insects 
and the extended area where swarms were present is most remark- 
able. Aside from New York city, where the largest number of the 
moths seemed to be present, they were reported by the local press 
as swarming at Nyack, Ossining, Newburgh, Hudson, Albany, Troy, 
Cohoes, Ballston, Saratoga, Glens Falls, Schenectady, Amsterdam, 
Johnsonville, Gloversville, Little Falls, Herkimer, Ilion and Utica. 
It is interesting to note that the moths appeared in Albany and 
other northern localities about five days later than at New York 
city. Aside from the above mentioned records, the local press of 
numerous other cities and villages contained brief notices of the 
swarming of this species, though with no record as to local occur- 
rence. The widespread character of the flight is well illustrated 
by authentic records of hosts occurring at Newark, N. J., Spring- 
field, Mass. and Ottawa, Can., the latter flight occurring July 23d. 
This visitation is all the more striking when it is recalled that in 
recent years at least, this moth has been comparatively rare, hardly 
attracting notice for a generation, despite the fact that in earlier 
years it was considered an important enemy of lindens. 
The remarkable local swarms recorded above are probably due to 
conditions being generally favorable for the multiplication of the 
species throughout the infested area. There is a possibility that 
some of the flights were due to swarms drifting with the wind from 
defoliated tracts lying at some distance. This is hardly an adequate 
explanation for the presence of many of the local swarms, particu- 
larly as observations in Albany show that the linden foliage in the 
