NOTES ON INSECTS. 37 



The doctor is one of the reliable physicians of Somcrville. His 

 place is infested with the moth. He said that he saw the brown 

 tail moth in South Berwick, Maine, while on his last summer's 

 vacation, and was sure that it was identical with the Somerville 

 pest. He also said that while he was in South Berwick he pro- 

 fessionally treated two cases of poisoning by contact with the 

 moth and that the symptoms of the patients were identical with 

 those of his Somerville patients who had been poisoned by the 

 brown tail moth. The premises in South Berwick are owned 

 by the doctor's father-in-law, Andrew Whitehouse, 10 Goodwin 

 St., South Berwick. I send you notice that you may take such 

 measures as you think proper in the case." 



We have no doubt but what Dr. Osgood's observations were 

 correct, although we were not able to secure specimens at the 

 time or since. Mr. Whitehouse wrote us in 1898 as follows : "I 

 cannot find any specimens to send you. In the summer of 1897 

 my boy was badly poisoned by them. They were numerous on 

 a woodbine on my premises and a few on my fruit trees. Last 

 year I cut down the woodbine and burned it and have not seen 

 any since." Mr. Whitehouse may have destroyed the colony, at 

 least it is to be hoped that he did. He thinks they were 

 imported on roses from Somerville, Mass. 



Charles Elliott Thaxter writing under date of July 14, 1899, 

 from Cut's Island, Kittery Point, Maine, says, "My father thinks 

 that you would be interested to know that we have caught two 

 brown tail moths this month, one on the wing July 3d, and 

 another at rest July 12. My father thinks the cocoons or cater- 

 pillars must have been brought here from Cambridge two sum- 

 mers ago on our househould goods, as brown tail moths were 

 very plentiful about our house in Cambridge while we were 

 packing. My father feels sure that they were not brought this 

 year and thinks that they are likely to have become established 

 on this island." We requested Mr. Thaxter to send us a Maine 

 specimen of the moth and he did so. Food plants of the moth 

 in Europe are the apple, pear, plum and rose of the rose family, 

 and a number of forest trees. In this country it seems to prefer 

 the pear but has been found feeding upon between thirty and 

 forty herbs, shrubs or trees including many families, showing 

 it to be a general feeder. 



