130 THE BROWN- TAIL MOTH. 
granges, school teachers and others, so that everyone was 
awake to the necessity of controlling the pest by removing 
the winter webs. As a result the webs were very generally 
destroyed throughout the southern part of the state, this 
being aided with appropriations by many of the towns. 
To this effective work is undoubtedly due the fact that 
there was not more spread in 1905. 
During July, 1906, the brown-tail moth continued to 
spread to the northwest into Grafton County, and north 
into Carroll County, but failed to spread westward into 
Cheshire County. Examinations made by an inspector of 
this station in November and December, 1906, show it to 
have spread over the area indicated in figure 13 in 1906. 
In those towns shaded the winter webs were found. The 
other towns within the boundary line connecting these 
towns were not examined but are undoubtedly infested. 
No inspection has been made during the winter of 1907- 
'08 to determine the spread of the brown-tail moth during 
the past summer, so that the present distribution cannot be 
given. It has, however, been found in Fitzwilliam and 
occurs as far west as Winchendon, Mass., along the New 
Hampshire line. Towns in the southern part of the Con- 
necticut Valley will do well to be on the constant lookout 
for the pest. 
LIFE HISTORY. 
The Winter Webs, or Nests. — During the winter the well- 
known webs of the brown-tail moth caterpillars are to be 
found on the tips of the twigs of fruit and shade trees. 
A typical example is shown in figure 14. 
These webs are usually about three or four inches long, 
composed of leaves woven together with silk, which form a 
firm, tough web. The whole nest is often attached to the 
twig by the stems of the leaves, which have been worked 
into it, the stems being wound round and round with silk 
and this being continued onto the twig, as shown in the 
figure. If a nest be torn open it will be found to contain 
numerous little round, white, silky masses, looking like 
