NARRATIVE OF PROGRESS OF WORK. 75 



so heartily interested in the experiment, that he considered them 

 not only perfectly able, but perfectly willing to carry on the work by 

 themselves. After this authoritative expression of opinion from one 

 who knew the ground so well, the visitor asked Mr. Kincaid whether 

 he would care to spend the early summer months of 1909 in Russia, 

 and, upon his affirmative reply, later recommended his reappointment 

 to the Massachusetts State authorities for that purpose. 



During the autumn and winter shipments of eggs of the gipsy 

 moth were received from Japan, principally from Prof. Kuwana. 

 From these eggs were reared numerous specimens of Anastatus bifas- 

 ciatus Fonsc, a previously known European parasite of these eggs, 

 and of another parasite belonging to a genus and species new to 

 science (since named by the senior author ScJiedius Tcuvanse) which 

 has turned out to be an important primary parasite and which is 

 considered in later pages. During the winter, also, Prof. Jablonowski, 

 of Budapest, sent over several thousand egg masses of the gipsy moth 

 collected in various localities in Hungary. After they arrived in 

 Massachusetts there were reared from them and liberated under the 

 most favorable conditions more than 75,000 adult individuals of 

 Anastatus bifasciatus. This was a surprising thing to the laboratory 

 workers, since less than 1,000 parasites of this species had been 

 received from all localities, the earlier ones having come from southern 

 Russia and from Japan. 



The winter of 1908-9 was spent at the laboratory, in additional 

 rearing operations, some of them on a large scale, and in studying the 

 parasites already reared, and planning for the coming summer. 



As it happened, during the winter the brown-tail moth was intro- 

 duced into the United States upon nursery stock from France in 

 large numbers. Shipments of nursery stock bearing winter nests 

 of this insect were sent to many States of the Union. Fortunately 

 this was discovered early in the winter, and through prompt action 

 and the cooperation of the customs officials and the railroads prob- 

 ably every sending was traced to its ultimate destination, and was 

 there inspected and the nests destroyed either by State officials or by 

 persons appointed for this purpose by the United States Department 

 of Agriculture. 



In the spring of 1909 it seemed necessary for the chief of the 

 bureau to proceed to Europe for the purpose of making an investi- 

 gation of the European methods of growing nursery stock, with a 

 view to the prevention of similar introductions in the future either 

 by general legislation by the United States Government or in some 

 other way. On this trip he utilized the opportunity to consult 

 further with European agents in the importation of the parasites 

 and to arrange for the summer's work. 



In the meantime Prof. Kincaid, whose appointment had been made 

 by the State of Massachusetts, and who had again been made an 



