No. 4.] DESTRUCTION OF BIRDS. 461 



It will be seen that the heat and drought often associated 

 with July or August came in April, May and early June. 

 The eftect of these abnormal conditions on animal and vege- 

 table life became apparent. The earlier birds, finding a food 

 supply, began breeding very early. Notwithstanding the 

 warm weather, the grass on uplands made very little growth, 

 and wild vegetation in general was stunted or backward. 



On June 2 the o'rass in south-eastern Massachusetts and 

 Rhode Island was sparse and short, but well headed, and 

 some farmers were cutting it to save what there was. It was 

 generally feared that the crop would be a failure. Insects, 

 with a few exceptions-, appeared to be scarce. 



Nevertheless, mosquitoes swarmed unusually early from 

 the drying pools, plant-lice appeared on the fruit trees, and 

 the invulnerable gypsy moth thrived as usual. Early in 

 June the forest fires, and later the floods, must have de- 

 stroyed incalculable numbers of insects ; while the heavy 

 rains swept the air clear of all flying insects, even mosqui- 

 toes, and also killed or benumbed many larvte. Grasshop- 

 pers practically disappeared ; some, a late brood, perhaps, 

 had not reached the imago state when cold weather came. 

 The Crop Report for May, issued by Secretary J. W. Stock- 

 well of the Board of Agriculture, gives no serious general 

 insect injury ; but the tent caterpillar seemed to be on the 

 increase. 



In the June Crop Report most of the correspondents 

 either fail to mention insects at all, report little or no dam- 

 age, or that insects are scarce. The insects reported as 

 doing injury are mainly those known to be very hardy, 

 or such as are protected l)y their habits from the weather. 

 Tent caterpillars evidently had subsided. 



Dr. H. T. Fernald of the Massachusetts Agricultural Col- 

 lege says that : ' ' At Amherst the long dry period in April 

 and May killed many insects, in some cases seemingly 

 directly, in most cases by its effect on their food. Some, 

 however, like the plant-lice, were greatly favored by the 

 conditions, and became astonishingly abundant. Among 

 these the cold June rains worked enormous destruction, but 

 hardly reduced them to their normal numbers." He would 



