a time, but perhaps only sparingly, and pass the winter as small 

 only partly grown caterpillars. It is in the spring and early 

 summer that their appetite seems most voracious and when they 

 do the greatest damage. 



The feeding of the larvae upon the developing tips of spruce 

 or balsam usually completely kills them and as no more can be 

 reproduced until the following season the tree is greatly weak- 

 ened. However, to completely kill the tree, it is necessary either 

 that all or nearly all of the old leaves be also eaten, or that the 

 destruction of the buds shall continue several seasons, or that 

 the greatly weakened tree shall be attacked by other insects, such 

 as borers which complete the destruction. Thus, but few trees 

 are killed the first year of attack unless complete defoliation both 

 of the new and old needles has resulted, but for the succeeding 

 few years the results are cumulative, as each succeeding crop of 

 new leaves is nearly entirely destroyed, while in the meantime 

 the old ones are being lost in the natural way. When, however, 

 bark beetles and bark weevils attack trees already weakened by 

 nearly complete defoliation, as has been recently reported by 

 Swaine in Canada, they find but little resistance to overcome and 

 the trees readily succumb. 



In order to determine by personal observation the amount of 

 damage done by the caterpillars, the writer spent a week in the 

 forests of Piscataquis County, several days in the Rangeley Lake 

 region, and another week in observation in the coast region from 

 Bangor to Kittery Point. In. the coast region the infestation is 

 decidely on the wane. Considerable damage has been done to 

 the rather small more or less scrubby spruce upon the islands 

 and points in the vicinity of Casco Bay, but indications are that 

 the injuries by the budworm are nearly over for the present. 

 On Harpswell Neck, which was visited in company with Profes- 

 sor J. M. Briscoe of the Forestry Department, many of the small 

 scrubby spruce near the roadside had been partly or entirely 

 defoliated when the observations were made, (June 28-30) , and 

 some were in a dying condition. At this time many moths were 

 on tke wing and many pupae were still to be found attached to 

 the defoliated twigs. However, a large percentage of the trees 

 were only partially defoliated and will undoubtedly recover. 

 At several places the injured or killed spruce had been cut and 

 converted into cord-wood which was piled along the roadside. 



