126 PARASITES OF GIPSY AND BROWN-TAIL MOTHS. 



trunks, and on the other extending back some little distance until it 

 was met by a wide stretch of treeless prairie. Here, at least, parasite 

 control of the gipsy moth appeared to be pretty thoroughly effective, 

 since there were in evidence a vastly larger number of old cocoon 

 masses of the Apanteles than there were of old egg masses of its host, 

 and the new egg masses were enormously outnumbered by the old. 

 According to Prof. Pospielow, who was a member of the party, the 

 forest in this locality was almost completely defoliated in 1908, but 

 there was no indication of damage to any of the trees composing it, 

 and every indication that the parasites alone were responsible for the 

 disappearance of the moth. 



In several other localities along the banks of the Dnieper the condi- 

 tions encountered were essentially the same, differing principally in 

 the lesser abundance of both egg masses and parasite cocoons. In 

 one locality quite near to Kief, fresh egg masses were more common 

 than at Mishighari, and cocoon masses of the season of 1910 were also 

 more common. It seemed to offer opportunities for the collection of 

 a sufficiently large quantity of this parasite to make an experiment in 

 importation and colonization possible and practicable in 1911, which 

 it is hoped may be carried out. 



In Kharkof conditions, both as regards the gipsy moth, its para- 

 sites, and the country at large, were essentially different from those 

 in Kief. Numerous localities from 5 to 20 miles out of the city in 

 different directions were visited, and everywhere indications of the 

 recent presence of the gipsy moth were found in abundance. Old egg 

 masses were massed around the base of the trees in a manner exceed- 

 ingly suggestive of uncared for woodland in Massachusetts, and 

 mingled with them were a very few fresh masses; so few, relatively, 

 as to indicate most conclusively that the moth had encountered .very 

 adverse conditions during the season of 1910, with the result that its 

 abundance had been most materially reduced. 



In every locality the conditions were the same, although the 

 character of the forest varied to a material extent. For the most part 

 the province of Kharkof is devoid of forest, and quite suggestive of 

 parts of North Dakota in appearance. Such forest as does occur is 

 mostly confined to the valleys in the neighborhood of streams, and 

 though it may be fairly extensive, it is rarely very diverse. No pine 

 was seen. Oak predominates very largely and, with the exception 

 of some birch, forms practically pure forests away from the lowlands, 

 except in the best watered localities. 



Everywhere, irrespective of the character of the forest, the gipsy 

 moth was found under the circumstances recounted above. Every- 

 where there had been an abundance of eggs in the spring, everywhere 

 there had been an abundance of caterpillars, a considerable propor- 



