APANTELES MELANOSCELUS GIPSY-MOTH PARASITE. 15 



The tray work was supplemented by collections of the cocoons in 

 the field and these had to be iced to prevent as much as possible any 

 issuance of secondary parasites, as well as to retard the development 

 of the maggots of Apanteles melanoscelus. When the cocoons arrived 

 at Portici they were usually picked over and repacked, although it 

 was not possible to do this in all cases. 



The shipments depended largely on the supply of parasite material 

 on hand and the dates of departure of vessels to America; but the 

 policy followed was to ship as often as possible. 



Several types of containers were used for transporting the cocoons, 

 all of which came in the vessels' cold storage and all proved quite 

 satisfactory. One type of refrigerator was so made that the small 

 packages of cocoons of Apanteles in the inner chamber were entirely 

 surrounded by ice. This refrigerator was a double- walled affair and 

 rather expensive to construct. It was inclosed in a box of sawdust. 

 Another type was a sort of ice-cream freezer arrangement consisting 

 of two metal water-tight cylinders, one within the other, with the 

 cocoons in containers packed in sawdust within the inner cjdinder. 

 Ice was packed between the two cylinders and the whole was packed 

 in sawdust in a large wooden box. At the bottom of the outer cylin- 

 der was a small pipe which went through the box and allowed the 

 water to drain off. On some occasions the containers were repacked 

 with ice in New York before being forwarded to Melrose. A few 

 shipments of cocoons which were merely packed in boxes, and kept 

 in cold storage for as much of the trip. as possible, came through in 

 good condition. 



COMPARISON OF SEASONAL HISTORY IN SICILY AND NEW ENGLAND. 



The spring of 1911 was cold, rainy, and rather backward in Sicily. 

 By May 15, however, parasite maggots had begun to issue from the 

 gipsy-moth larvse. The earliest record for issuance of maggot's for 

 New England is May 22. It is likely that during many seasons in 

 Sicily maggots issue by May 7, whereas the New England record re- 

 ferred to is an early one, issuance of maggots usually beginning the 

 last of May. This would make the season in Sicily about three weeks 

 earlier than at Melrose Highlands, Mass. The second-generation 

 cocoons were being collected in Sicily by June 10, 1911, but June 23 

 is the earliest record of the presence of this generation in New Eng- 

 land. 



ABUNDANCE OF A. MELANOSCELUS IN SICILY. 



The parasite cocoons were very abundant in places as indicated in 

 notes and correspondence received from Mr. Fiske. 



Apanteles killed more caterpillars than all of the other parasites put together. 

 Cocoons average 1,000 to a tree, not counting the smaller trees. 



