The Tamarack Growth in the Eastern Townships. 133 



In the larval stage — which is the destructive stage — the 

 species is a green caterpillar of no great size, having a black head. 

 When it is "full-fed," it creeps into some retreat, and spins a 

 compact, brown^cocoon, about half an inch in length. 



It was in the pupal stage, probably, and amongst the roots 

 of young plants of Norway Spruce, that the species was brought 

 to^the nurseries of Massachusetts, about the year 1880. 



The first notice of the arrival of the Nematus in Canada was 

 given by myself, and will be found on the 17th page of the Report 

 of^the Ent. Soc. of Ont. for 1883. 



When the creatures came to us, they came in their strength — 

 " In numbers numberless." The Nematus Raid, as it was called, 

 was a phenomenon that they who witnessed are not likely to 

 forget. That creatures seemingly so insignificant, brought 

 unwittingly from a country so far away, should, by force of 

 numbers, be able to strip the vast forest of tamarack of its 

 verdure, and leave the trees in a dying state was truly marvellous! 



I last saw the creatures in activity about ten years ago, in a 

 grove of young tamarack near the old St. Henri Road, in Levis 

 County. The trees were about twenty feet high ; and here and 

 there amongst them was a small colony of Nematus larvae. The 

 grove mentioned has lately been felled, and the land it occupied 

 turned into a pasture. 



The Nematus larvae had a preference for the finest growths. 

 The smaller trees of the time were not at first so badly treated 

 by them ; and these lingered on, making brave efforts at recovery ; 

 but even these have, for the most part, now succumbed. Prob- 

 ably the drought of 1903 gave the finishing blow to them. 



Mr. E. B. Brewster tells me that half a mile from Compton 

 Village, there is a tamarack swamp about a mile long and one- 

 eighth of a mile wide. The largest trees in it are ten or twelve 

 inches in diameter. Of all the trees in the swamp, probably 

 75 per cent are dead, and about 15 per cent, shew some signs of 

 feeble life in tufts of sprouts from the stem. The only apparently 

 healthy trees are on the borders of the swamp, and form a mere 

 narrow fringe to it, one or two trees deep. 



Of the dead trees in this swamp, some are onty "rampikes" 

 denuded both of branches and bark. To others the branches 

 still cUng. Here and there, among the dead trees, a few balsams 

 {Abies balsamea)and cedars (Thuja occidentalis) are springing up. 



When I visited the swamps in Bury in 1891 the rot had 

 struck into the dead trees for two or three inches. For an account 

 of this visit, and a calculation of the damage done by the Nematus 

 see the Report of the Entomological Society of Ontario for 1891, 

 page'28. 



