TOWNS NOW INFESTED 57 



was much worse than that caused by poison oak or poison 

 ivy, and was not so easily gotten rid of. I treated most cases 

 with some cooling application. Some cases were decidedly 

 obstinate, but no case was serious enough to menace the life 

 of the patient." 



Investigations by INIassachusetts authorities of this conse- 

 quence of the presence of the Brown-tail Moth showed that it 

 was due to the mechanical irritation of the barbs of certain 

 short hairs on the body of the caterpillar ; these hairs are 

 called the nettling-hairs. " These nettling-hairs are very small, 

 only about one two hundred and fiftieth of an inch in length, 

 very sharp at one end, and with two or three barbs at the 

 other end and many along the sides. These barbs are so 

 arranged that when these nettling-hairs fall upon the skin any 

 movement will cause them to work into the flesh. The net- 

 tling of the skin may be caused by contact with the caterpil- 

 lars in either of the last two moults, the cocoons, and to some 

 extent with the moths, but contact is not necessary, as these 

 fine nettling spines may fall or be blown by the wind." 



These nettling-hairs do not appear upon the insect until the 

 caterpillar is nearly full grown, being present only during the 

 last two moulting periods. Consequently there is no danger 

 in removing or handling the winter nests in a locality where 

 the pest has not been common the previous season. 



TOWNS NOW INFESTED 



Since early last spring we have found the Brown-tail Moth 

 present in the following Nev/ Hampshire towns : Hampton, 

 Hampton Falls, Portsmouth, Salem, Seabrook, and Stratham. 

 It has been impracticable with the very small amount of 

 money available for this purpose to make as thorough a sur- 

 vey as I should like to see made of the other towns in the 

 southeastern part of the state. It is extremely probable that 

 the pest exists in several of these where its presence has not 

 yet been noticed. Greenland, Rye, and North Hampton are 

 especial!}' likely to be infested at an early date, if they are not 

 already, while the towns along the Massachusetts border be- 

 tween Seabrook and Pelham are in great danger of infestation 

 from the neighboring infested regions in Massachusetts. 



