146 LETTERS TO MR. GIBB [CHAP. xv. 



then, pouring some chloroform in between my fingers, I got 

 them all safe. 



I am very much interested about this poor young woman's 

 death from poisoning by a fly or insect attack. 1 I wish it 

 had been possible to secure the pest, it would be so really 

 useful to make out whether the evil was from the nature of 

 the bite or sting, or whether from ill health or other cause 

 the sufferer was unusually susceptible. 



December 14, 1896. 



I am troubling you with a few lines to ask whether you 

 would kindly tell me if the caterpillars which did so very 

 much harm to the oak leafage in your neighbourhood in 

 May, were mostly " loopers " or the dull, dirty green, or 

 leaden-coloured larvae of the Tortrix viridana (Oak leaf- 

 roller) : you just noted the very great amount of attack to 

 me, in your letter of the I2th of May. I conjecture they 

 would be loopers (? Winter or Mottled Umber moth), 



(a) Male ; and wingless females. (b) Male ; and wingless female ; caterpillar. 



FIG. 30. LOOPER CATERPILLARS, (a) WINTER MOTH, CHEIMATOBIA BRUMATA, LlNN. ; 

 (b) MOTTLED UMBER MOTH, HYBERNIA DEFOLIARIA, LINN. 



for you note that " the moths appeared unusually early, and 

 as soon as the bud began to open, the little caterpillars were 

 upon them," and I think you would be referring to the early 

 appearance last autumn of the Winter moth. But a note 

 from you would be very valuable. I am wanting to make a 

 really good paper on " Leafage Caterpillars" people seem 

 not to understand that though the remedies we know of can 

 be used at a paying rate on orchard trees that we can get 

 at, yet, for a mile of avenue " ancestral timber ! " or for 

 woods with their trees touching, and no passage for 

 machines, the expense of treatment could not be met. 



1 The victim was a resident in the New Forest district, and the sting 

 or bite was followed by severe local inflammation. Blood poisoning 

 supervened and caused death. (ED.). 



