No. 4.] GYPSY MOTH. 223 



widespread distril)iiti()n of the moth, wliich has certainly 

 taken place from the " l)oiling over" of the large neglected 

 colonies. IIow great has been this distribution time alone 

 will show, but from years of experience and study of the 

 habits of the pest we know that when a colony reaches the 

 swarming stage, when large areas are stripped and the army 

 of hungry caterpillars marches outward in all directions seek- 

 ing food, a few years will suffice to show that numerous new 

 colonies are the direct result of this wholesale migration. 

 This is particularly dangerous when the colonies are located 

 near lines of travel. As is well known, caterpillars spin 

 downward on teams, bicyclists, electric cars, trains, etc., 

 and are easily trans})orted from place to place. Mr. Joseph 

 Chase, the well-known Maiden nurseryman, reported last 

 July the finding of a large gypsy moth caterpillar in an 

 electric car at the Sullivan Square terminal, Charlestown. 

 ]Mr. A. H. Kirkland, formerly assistant entomologist to this 

 committee, informs us that at the Oak Grove and Wyoming 

 stations of the Boston & Maine Railroad the young cater- 

 pillars literally hung in festoons from the eaves of the 

 depots. At Xorth Saugus Mr. Kirkland gathered two gypsy 

 moth caterpillars from an electric car passing on a turnout. 

 These few instances indicate how the moth is spreading and 

 emphasize the danger from colonies near streets or railroads. 

 One cannot consider the volume of traffic passing through 

 certain badly infested sections without the conviction that 

 the past season has marked a large dift'usion of the moth 

 throughout the infested district, and doubtless into regions 

 previously free from its presence. 



As pointed out in previous reports, the increase of the 

 moth into woods colonies was not at first as rapid as in the 

 residential districts. These latter localities, however, have 

 received the greatest attention from property owners or 

 municipal authorities, while the woodlands have been neg- 

 lected. The result is that now the woods colonies have 

 become a serious factor in the problem. At Arlington, 

 Lexington, Medford, Maiden, Melrose, Saugus, Lynn and 

 Lynnfield there are many large woodland colonies where the 

 egg clusters may be counted by thousands. No matter how 

 thorough municipal or })rivate efi'orts to suppress the moth 



