132 THE BROWN-TAIL MOTH 



that legislation be enacted which will, if possible, clearly 

 define the rights and duties of the towns and municipalities 

 in this regard. 



Attorney- General Eastman has kindly informed the State 

 Board of Agriculture that "the highways agents and the 

 selectmen of towns, one or both, may remove the webs of 

 the brown-tail moth from trees within the limits of the pub- 

 lic highways." He further states that neither selectmen 

 nor city councils probably have power to enact ordinances 

 compelling property owners to remove the webs. This being 

 the case, it is highly desirable that state legislation be en- 

 acted, which might well be patterned after the Massachu- 

 setts law in this respect, requiring all property owners to 

 remove the webs and requiring town officials to see that this 

 is properly done, appropriating a sufficient sum, so that after 

 a reasonable amount has been expended by property owners 

 and towns the state will stand a share of the expense of 

 such work. Otherwise one town may carefully remove the 

 webs each year and yet will make no headway against the 

 pest, owing to the neglect of a neighboring town. 



Appropriations for this work have been made by many 

 towns in town meeting only sufficient for the work of that 

 spring.' It were much better if a sufficient sum were voted 

 to cover the work of that spring and the following winter, 

 stating that only so much could be used prior to November 

 of that year. This would make work possible during the 

 good weather of early winter. 



IDENTIFICATION OP SPECIMENS. 



The writer will be glad to identify any specimens thought 

 to be brown-tail moth webs or caterpillars. He will also 

 be materially assisted in determining the spread and abund- 

 ance of the pest if (1) all information possible be sent 

 him concerning its occurrence outside of the area indicated 

 on the map, figure 1, and (2) if local officials having charge 

 of removing webs will keep account of the number of webs 

 removed from street trees and forward the record to him 

 each year, as in this way a comparison of the abundance 

 in different parts of the state may be made. 



For further accounts of the brown-tail moth see, — Fer- 

 nald and Kirkland, "The Brown-Tail Moth," Massachu- 

 setts State Board of Agriculture, pages 73, plates 14, 1903, 

 and Kirkland, Bulletin 1, Office of Superintendent for Sup- 

 pression of Gypsy 'and Brown-Tail Moths, 1905. 



