62 ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



By my ordinary method of collecting fall moths, searching for them in the daytime, 

 or beating bushes and weeds ; all species of Hydroecia seemed to be rare and difficult to 

 find, except Nictitam, which is more or less plentiful every season ; whilst other species 

 are obtainable only in single specimens at long intervals. In Mr. H. Bird's valuable 

 paper on this genus (Can. Ent. Vol. 30, P. 126,) mention is made of Nitela as being a 

 well known species ; here it is seldom taken, and its variety Nebris has yet to be reported 

 present. Referring to Cataphracta, Mr. Bird says : "At light the Imago would be con- 

 sidered a rarity." Here it is the most abundant form presenting itself at light. Dozens 

 of it might have been taken in the season of 1897. It wasles3 plentiful in 1898. In- 

 guaesila would come next in point of numbers. This is an illustration of changed results 

 in different localities. 



THE GYPSY MOTH. 

 By E, H. Forbush. 



Ever since the Gypsy moth exterminative work was placed uuder the management 

 of the Massachusetts Board of Agriculture the plan of operations has been to work from 

 the outermost limit of the known infested region toward the centre. 



Obviously such a method, if properly executed, would best carry out the purpose of 

 the State law, first, for the prevention of the spread, and second, for the extermination 

 of the moth. In accordance with this plan it has been the policy of the Board to clear 

 the outer towns from the moth and, at the same time, to reduce, so far as the money 

 granted would permit, the number of the moths in the central towns. It was hoped that 

 when the outer towns were cleared the force could largely be concentrated in the inner 

 towns, clearing them also. If the Board had each year received the sums it has deemed 

 necessary and annually requested this policy would by to-day, it is believed, have been 

 carried on to complete success. But since the necessary legislative grant annually asked 

 for by the Board has been cut down year after year from one-third to one-half, the moths 

 have so increased in the central towns that they have been scattered into and have 

 seriously threatened the towns cleared or nearly cleared in the outer belt. 



Under these circumstances it has been found necessary during the seasons of 1897-98 

 to concentrate large bodies of men in the central towns to prevent a further wide dissem- 

 ination of the larvae into the outer towns ; the outer towns, meanwhile, receiving less 

 than their full share of attention. 



The present year the fall amount asked for ($200,000) was granted for this work by 

 the legislature. Unfortunately the grant was so delayed that much of the necessary work 

 of egg-destruction (by burning, before hatching time) could not be done. The heavy 

 rains, too, which prevailed through May and June greatly hampered the spraying. 

 Nevertheless, the burlap-work, which was done more extensively than ever before and 

 over most of the territory known as infested, proved so successful that nowhere in the 

 whole burlapped territory were any considerable number of ,trees stripped by gypsy moth 

 larvae. 



We have also this summer done extensive burning, beginning in August ; burning 

 will be continued where needed. 



On the whole, the granting this year of the fall sum asked will mike it possible for 

 us to accomplish far more in 1898 than has been accomplished in any previous year. 



While it is true that two colonies of the moth (one in Lincoln, discovered ia 1897, 

 the other in Manchester, discovered this year) are known, immediately outside of the 

 limits of the territory hitherto defined as infested, these discoveries, under all the cir- 

 cumstances, do not in the least surprise me, since I have believed from the first that a few 

 of such extra-limital colonies might confidently be looked for. Still these discoveries 

 emphasize the necessity of far more inspection work outside the limit3 of known infesta- 



