38 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



State, occurring upon the Colorado blue spruce. The above noted 

 insects have been the subject of correspondence and, in some in- 

 stances, of field investigations during the past season. 



Gipsy and brown tail moths. Much interest was aroused 

 early in 1909 by the finding of thousands of winter nests of the 

 brown tail moth on many shipments of French seedlings. A number 

 of such nests occurred on shipments received in 1910, though the 

 pests were not so abundant as during the preceding year. The 

 careful inspection of the stock appears to have prevented this insect 

 from becoming established in the State. There is much more dan- 

 ger of this moth being brought into New York State on shipments 

 of full-grown nursery stock originating in infested American terri- 

 tory than there is of its being introduced with imported seedlings. 

 It has been found necessary to give considerable time to the determi- 

 nation of remains of caterpillars, cocoons and egg masses in order 

 to be certain that none of these fragments on nursery stock indi- 

 cated the presence of either the gipsy or brown tail moth. 



A personal investigation of conditions in eastern Massachusetts 

 shows that no pains are being spared to prevent the dissemination 

 of either the gipsy or the brown tail moth. Particular attention 

 has been given to keeping the property abutting on the principal 

 highways free from the pests so as to eliminate in large measure 

 the danger of their being carried by vehicles of any kind. There 

 has been, however, some extension of the territory occupied by 

 these two pests. The gradual spread of these insects appears to be 

 inevitable, though the utmost care is taken in the treatment of the 

 outlying colonies. It is gratifying to state that the serious infesta- 

 tion recently discovered at Wallingford, Conn., has been handled 

 in such a satisfactory manner that only a very few specimens 

 rewarded a week's careful search by a gang of fifteen men. An 

 examination of the work with parasites showed that no stone was 

 being left unturned in an effort to find, rear and liberate a large 

 number of efficient enemies of these pests. The Entomologist would 

 emphasize once more the grave danger of bringing either one or 

 both of these pests into the State on nursery stock originating in 

 the infested area, and would call attention to the great desirability 

 of promptly exterminating any isolated colonies which might be 

 found in the near future. 



House fly. The popular interest in the control of this pest 

 has continued and bids fair to result in important and far-reaching 

 sanitary changes. The demand for information exhausted the 



