QUANTITY OF PARASITE MATERIAL IMPORTED. 167 



will depend upon the characteristics of the particular species under 

 consideration. So far as known, no tachinid which forms a free 

 puparium outside of its host is injured by exposure to moisture. 



The pupal period of the majority of the tachinid parasites of the 

 gipsy moth and the brown-tail moth is quite short, usually lasting 

 less than two weeks. It is therefore necessary to make use of cold 

 storage en route, in order to make certain that the adults will not 

 hatch before arrival. By far the larger part of the pup aria which 

 have been received at the laboratory have thus hatched, except when 

 they were of species which naturally hibernated unless they were 

 shipped in cold storage. 



CALOSOMA AND OTHER PREDACEOUS BEETLES. 



Quite a variety of the large carabid beetles has been imported from 

 abroad for experimentation as to their serviceability as enemies of 

 the gipsy moth, or for liberation in the field after this point had been 

 demonstrated satisfactorily. At first some difficulty was experi- 

 enced in accomplishing their importation successfully, but later it 

 was found to be a simple matter if proper care Was used in packing. 

 The great majority of them have come in ordinary safety-match boxes 

 (PL X, iig. 2) , each box containing one beetle and a wisp of sphagnum 

 moss. Usually one or two caterpillars or other sort of succulent 

 insect have been included for the purpose of lunch en route, but the 

 practice is of rather doubtful value in the case of those species which 

 have been handled in the largest numbers in the laboratory. Should 

 the beetle not fancy the quality of the sustenance provided, or refuse 

 to eat for any other reason, death and decomposition of the victim 

 may result disastrously and be prejudicial to the health of the beetle. 



These small match boxes have been packed in larger wooden boxes 

 and sent through the ordinary mails with little loss of fife. Other 

 small wooden or paper boxes have similarly been used with equal 

 success. 



Cold storage has occasionally been employed in a few minor ship- 

 ments from Europe with very good results. In 1910 a large ship- 

 ment of living beetles was received in cold storage from Japan in 

 most excellent condition. 



QUANTITY OF PARASITE MATERIAL IMPORTED. 



In Mr. Kirkland's first report as superintendent for suppressing the 

 gipsy moth and the brown-tail moth in Massachusetts, several pages 

 were devoted to a detailed account of each shipment of parasite 

 material received from abroad. After the first year no attempt to 

 continue this" practice was made, and if it were now attempted to treat 

 each separate shipment with the same attention to detail, several 

 hundred additional pages would be required. 



