No. 4.] REPORT OF STATE FORESTER. 327 



existed and the most perfect facilities have been offered to experts of the 

 Bureau at the expense of the State. The growing importance of the work, 

 and the urgent need for the diversion of all possible State funds to other 

 aspects of the investigation, brought about a transfer, which was entered 

 into Dec, 1, 1911, all of the parasite work being taken on by the Bureau. 

 A number of State employees were transferred to the Bureau rolls, so 

 that their previous training and experience were available. 



In my report to you submitted December 15, 1 summarized most of the 

 results of the year 1911, including many facts in addition to those con- 

 tained in my annual report as Chief of the Bureau of Entomology, which 

 considered matters only down to the 1st of July. Most of the material 

 received during the latter part of the season of 1911 was wintered at the 

 laboratory at Melrose HiglJauds, and during the spring of 1912 there was 

 a good emergence of parasites, and several vigorous colonies were liber- 

 ated. The parasite found by Mr. Fiske in Sicily in 1911, and of which 

 12.5,000 cocoons were sent over, survived the winter successfully in Massa- 

 chusetts, and during May and the first half of June, 1912, about 12,000 

 adults were put out in the field. A species of Apanteles, which was re- 

 ceived in small numbers, passed through the winter in good condition, 

 and a small colony was placed out. Females of this species lay their eggs 

 in small caterpillars, and the insect has now passed through a generation 

 since it arrived in this country. 



The egg-parasite known as Anastatus bifasciatus, a species having only 

 one annual generation, and coming from both Japan and south Europe, 

 has been breeding in practically all of the places where it has been colo- 

 nized. It spreads very slowly, however, and it is necessary to make many 

 plantings in order that it may become generally distributed. In some of 

 the collections of egg masses, as high as 47 per cent, of the eggs were found 

 to be parasitized. More than 700 additional colonies of this species were 

 put out during the spring of 1912. 



The Japanese egg parasite, Schedius kuvance, has been increasing rapidly, 

 has several generations each year, and the outlook for its perfect establish- 

 ment is very favorable. 



Never, however, under any circumstances, may we expect that these 

 two egg parasites together will destroy m.ore than 40 per cent, of the eggs, 

 since they are confined in their operations to the upper layer of eggs in 

 any given egg mass. A reduction of 40 per cent, in the eggs, however, 

 will be a great gain. 



The European Calosoma beetle has become thoroughly established, 

 and has caused much destruction among gypsy moth caterpillars and 

 pupae. It has been found in numbers as far north as Portsmouth, N. H., 

 and in practically all of the towns in New Hampshire south of a line drawn 

 from Portsmouth to Lowell, Mass. Last year this species was found in 

 only a single town in New Hampshire. In the central infested district 

 in Massachusetts adults and larvae of this species, both of which feed upon 

 gypsy moth caterpillars and pupas, were so conmion that they were ob- 



