128 THE BROWN-TAIL MOTH. 
THE BROWN-TAIL MOTH. 1 
HISTORY. 
The brown-tail moth was probably introduced into this 
country 7 at Somerville, Mass., on nursery stock imported 
from Europe about 1890. Not until 1897 did it attract the 
attention of the Massachusetts Gipsy Moth Commission, 
whose agents thoroughly investigated the pest. No funds 
were then available for controlling it, though the Legisla- 
ture passed a law "requiring the local authorities to sup- 
press the brown-tail moths," and the Massachusetts Board 
of Agriculture determined its spread. In 1898 the work of 
controlling this insect was placed in the hands of the Mas- 
sachusetts State Board of Agriculture, with $10,000 of the 
funds appropriated for the gipsy moth available for such 
work. Since that time the control has been in the hands 
of the local authorities. 
In Europe this is one of the oldest and best known of the 
caterpillar pests, being called the "common caterpillar." 
It has been known there since the times of the earliest 
writers upon insects and natural history, excellent accounts 
of it having been written nearly three centuries ago. It is 
common over Central and Southern Europe, Western Asia 
and Northern Africa, and extends north into Sweden. 
SPREAD AND DISTRIBUTION. 
Occurring over a dozen towns when first recognized in 
1897 and there being at no time a well-organized effort 
having sufficient funds for its control, the pest spread 
rapidly and in December, 1899, the first of its winter nests 
was found in New Hampshire, at Seabrook. Its spread 
since that time is approximately shown on the map, fig- 
ure 13. Portsmouth and the coast towns became infested 
in 1901 and 1902 and in the spring of 1903 they were 
>Euprootis chrysorrhcea L. 
