1'22 THE GIPSY MOTH. 
sites and birds. Several ground beetles prey on the eater- 
pillars, while true parasitic insects attack both larvge and 
pupae. Several species of birds, notably vireos and cuckoos, 
consume large numbers of the caterpillars, while others, like 
the chewink, chickadee, blue jay and crow, do their part 
in reducing the numbers of the pest. The service of these 
natural tree protectors is worthy of high praise, but in at- 
tempting to control the moth the main reliance must be 
placed on human efforts — on the timely and thorough ap- 
plication of the remedial measures outlined ' ' below. As yet 
the native enemies have not shown ability to materially 
check the increase of the pest. 
It is well known that in Europe the insect seems to be 
largely controlled by its natural enemies, so that serious 
outbreaks occur but once in a number of years in any one 
locality, in the same manner as do outbreaks of our native 
insects, such as the forest tent caterpillar or white-marked 
tussock moth, which are controlled by native parasites. A 
determined effort is, therefore, now being made by the 
Massachusetts superintendent, in cooperation with the 
Bureau of Entomology of the United States Department of 
Agriculture, in importing those parasites and predaceous 
insects which prey upon the gipsy moth in Europe. Al- 
ready immense numbers have been imported from all parts 
of Europe and are being carefully reared in strict confine- 
ment at Melrose, Mass. It is the hope of everyone that these 
importations may result, within a few years, in such an in- 
crease of these enemies that they will be able to control the 
gipsy moth. It is the belief of the writer that ultimately 
either imported or native enemies of the gipsy moth will 
control it, as they do our native insects ; but Nature works 
slowly, and whether such a condition will arise in five, ten 
or one hundred years, it is impossible to predict, as we have 
no experience with imported pests of a nature sufficiently 
similar to furnish us any precedent for comparison. Obvi- 
ously, therefore, it will be folly to place any dependence 
upon these natural enemies until their value and ability tc 
