REPORT OF THE STATE ENTOMOLOGIST 1902 95 



Its presence in this country was iirst brought to the attention 

 of Prof. C. IT. Fernald in 1897, when it was learned that the 

 species had become established in numbers in Cambridge and 

 Somerville. During that year it was found that the pest occurred 

 over the greater part of these two towns and Everett, in a small 

 part of Medford near the Somerville line, and that there was 

 a single colony in Maiden. The following year a gale of wind oc- 

 curred during the height of the flying season, and the moths were 

 carried for a distance of 10 or 12 miles to the north and north- 

 east, as stated by Professor Fernald. The rapidity with which 

 the insect has extended its range is well illustrated by a table 

 of the estimated area infested by the moth in the early years. 

 This was prepared by Mr Kirkland and is as follows : 



Area infested fall of Square miles 



1S9G 29 



1S97 158 



1S9S 448 



1899 928 



It will be seen by the above that the insect is rapidly extending 

 its range, and it is now known to occur at Kittery Me. and at 

 Seabrook N. H. 



Description. The male moths have a wing spread of about l 1 /^ 

 inches, are pure white with a satiny luster on the fore wings and 

 have a conspicuous reddish brown tuft at the tip of the abdomen 

 [pi. 1, fig. 5, G]. Sometimes there are a few black spots on the 

 fore wings. The antennae are white and fringed with pale yel- 

 lowish hairs. 



The females have a wing spread of about 1% inches, are the 

 same color as the males, except that they have no black spots on 

 the wings, and the anal tuft is larger and lighter in color, while 

 the antennae are shorter and with shorter fringes. 



The eggs are laid in July in masses composed of 200 to 300 

 and placed usually on the underside of the leaves [pi. 1, fig. 1], 

 where they are covered with brown hairs from the tip of the 

 abdomen. They hatch in a short time, and the young feed during 

 the rest of the season on the surface of the leaves, a few days 

 only being required to skeletonize them. The caterpillars begin 

 to make a nest in which they hibernate while still young. It is 

 constructed on the twigs and is made by drawing together a few 



