No. 4.] THE GYPSY MOTH. 91 



that we knew to a certainty the utmost limits to which it had 

 spread before our funds were entirely exhausted, so we have 

 set thirty or forty men to examining the territory of the 

 towns lying around the twenty-one towns in which we found 

 the creature last spring. Our search for them at that time 

 was largely after the leaves began to show themselves, 

 which helped to cover the eggs, and of course we could not 

 do the work so thoroughly as we wished. Now that the 

 leaves have fallen, the men can more easily do this work of 

 searching. We have not found any in Boston, but we do 

 find occasionally here and there outside of the last spring 

 limit little points of infection where they have been carried 

 in some way, but nothing that seems to be discouraging. We 

 have found, I believe, two little colonies in Marblehead ; 

 and two or three in Salem and Beverly. We are thoroughly 

 examining the whole territory. You can imagine what a 

 task it is to examine every tree and shrub in a township. 

 That is what we are now doing, and we propose to have it 

 finished when the Legislature comes together. 



Now, Mr. Forbush is present, and, while I have attempted 

 to give you an outline of what we have done and what we 

 are attempting to do, he is more capable of answering any 

 questions which you may wish to ask in regard to the habits 

 of the creature than I am. 



Question. Has any parasite been discovered? 



Mr. Forbush. We have discovered several parasites. 

 We have found something like fifteen or sixteen insects 

 (which are supposed to be parasitic) destroying the gypsy 

 moth. They are all native insects so far as we know, 

 and some of them are undoubtedly species unknown to sci- 

 ence. Our native parasitic insects are feeding on the gypsy 

 moth, and there will be probably no need of importing any 

 parasites from France, Germany or any other country. 

 Some that we have discovered are among the most useful 

 parasites known in this country. We have the iohneumon, 

 which destroyed the black moth in Maine at the time of its 

 tremendous ravages some years ago. We have two or three 

 others which are known to be very useful. They are com- 

 mon in Massachusetts, and can be easily obtained at uny 

 time. It is sometimes understood that all we need in order 



