No. 4.] GYPSY MOTTT. 221 



which checked the development of these common pests of 

 various habit, the gypsy moth not only held its own but 

 made a notable increase in numbers, in severity of attack 

 and in area occupied by the more important colonies. This 

 increase under unfavorable circumstances gives additional 

 evidence of the hardy nature of the moth. Property owners 

 in the infested district may well congratulate themselves on 

 the adverse influence exerted last season on insect increase, 

 for had the season been a normal one the damage by the 

 gypsy moth w^ould doubtless have been more severe. 



The spring inspection showed the yellow egg patches of 

 the moth present nearly everywhere in the central infested 

 district of Medford, Maiden and Melrose. In other cities 

 and towns important large colonies were noticed. Thus at 

 Arlington along the upper mill pond and in Lexington near 

 the Woburn line thousands of moth nests could be seen in 

 the course of a few minutes' walk. At Saugus in certain 

 of the woodland colonies trees of good size were literallv 

 " felted" with the egg masses. The eggs hatched somewhat 

 earlier than usual, and for several weeks — perhaps owing 

 to the May drought — the caterpillars made but little head- 

 way. With the advent of rains and hot weather damage by 

 the insect came to view at an alarming rate. In a night 

 almost, it seemed, large areas in residential section^ or in 

 woodland were practically defoliated. The stripping of the 

 hillside between the Fells and Wyoming (Melrose) spread 

 from day to day, like a drop of oil on water. This rapid 

 increase in the devastation by the moth continued even into 

 July, when it ceased, as the insects entered the pupal stage. 



While the injury was more noticeable, viewed from a little 

 distance, in the woodlands, it was more severely felt in the 

 residential sections. Whole districts, as that between Forest 

 and Salem streets. Maiden, were deprived of shade, gardens 

 were ruined and housekeepers put to much annoyance in 

 their efforts to exclude the swarming caterpillars from dwell- 

 ings. A lady living in the Lebanon Street district of Mel- 

 rose collected on doors and house walls upward of a bushel 

 of the caterpillars in ten days. 



From the citizens of the infested district came numerous 

 requests for advice in destroying the caterpillars, and through 



