No. 4.] 



THE GYPSY MOTH. 



361 



the gypsy moth. This is as it should be. Our attitude in 

 this matter has been that it is better to investigate hundreds 

 of cases of supposed damage rather than to overlook a single 

 case of actual injury by the gypsy moth. To this end it is 

 hoped that property owners will continue their activity in 

 noting unusual insect injury, and report all suspicious cases 

 promptly to this office. 



A list of non-infested towns which have been visited be- 

 cause of complaints received is given below : — 



Outside Colonies. 



As in past years, infestations have appeared in the regions 

 lying outside the boundary line established in 1891. Since 

 this line was determined by a hasty search by untrained 

 men, and not by a careful tree-to-tree examination by skilled 

 inspectors, it has often seemed remarkable to those most 

 familiar with the work that so few outside colonies of the 

 moth have developed. In most of these colonies there is 

 not lacking abundant internal evidence to show that they 

 date back to the years of the moth's greatest abundance, 

 1889-91, a time when the caterpillars were swarming forth 

 in laro;e numbers from the centres of infestation. 



Of the two outside colonies found the past year, the one 

 in Newton is the most extensive, while the trees in the 

 Georgetown colony suffered the most severe injury. With- 

 out doubt the Newton colony is a result of traffic between 

 the residences of citizens of the locality and certain estates 

 in a town known to be infested. A careful invcvstigation 



