52 BULLETIN 286 



the common name of "measure-worm," although it had no more claim 

 to this particular appellation than many other caterpillars of the same 

 family. Packard, in a discussion of the insect in 1869, gave it Guenee's 

 old name again, Ennomos subsignaria, but in a subsequent and more 

 extended discussion in 1876 changed it to an entirely new genus, Eugenia 

 subsignaria. Finally, in 1891, Dr. J. B. Smith, in his "List of Lepi- 

 doptera of Boreal America," listed it under the name, Ennomos sub- 

 signarius, and under this it has since remained. 



Dr. Lintner, in 1882, first proposed the common name of snow-white 

 linden moth because of its snow-white color and its chief depredations, 

 as he then supposed, on the linden tree. It was soon found however, 

 that it attacked other trees quite as seriously and extensively as the 

 linden, but since the name was as appropriate as any, it has clung to 

 the insect to the present day. 



HISTORY OF THE SNOW-WHITE LINDEN MOTH 



Early history. The snow-white linden moth was first described in 

 1806 and has been known to science ever since; but it was not until 

 about 1860 that it began to attract attention in this country as a serious 

 pest. In 1855, T. W. Harris discusses the abundance of the larvae in 

 the city of Brooklyn and says that a correspondent writes that the 

 "worms" were first seen in the city "ten years ago," since which time 

 they have appeared at the regular season every year. In 1861, Dr. J. 

 B. Jones wrote a report on the measure worms which infest the trees 

 of Brooklyn, with suggestions for treatment. In the same year, the 

 citizens of Brooklyn became so excited over the increase of this measur- 

 ing worm that the Common Council seriously discussed a resolution 

 compelling the destruction of all linden trees on the streets of the city. 

 In a subsequent examination, however, the caterpillars were found on 

 so many other varieties of shade-trees that it was seen that no per- 

 manent good could be accomplished by the destruction of the linden 

 trees and the resolution was 'laid on the table indefinitely. In 1881, 

 Mr. Grote wrote that, when he lived in Brooklyn in 1857, this measuring 

 worm was so abundant "that the horse-chestnuts, elms, and maples, 

 the latter especially, became completely defoliated, and the brown 

 measuring worms used to hang down and cover the sidewalks ultimately 

 to the great discomfort of the passers by." It is said that this condition 

 continued until the introduction of the English sparrow, which is con- 

 sidered to have destroyed the caterpillars and held the pest in check. 



In. 1880 the pest was discovered in Georgia. Professor Comstock 

 reported the caterpillars as destroying forests of hickory and chestnut 



