NARRATIVE OF PROGRESS OF WORK. 79 



of the parasites of the gipsy moth reported to exist in that part of 

 Europe. Proceeding to St. Petersburg via New York and Paris, an 

 interview was had with Prof. Porchinsky, of the Russian Bureau of 

 Entomology, who supplied valuable information and suggestions for 

 the furtherance of the investigation. Leaving the Russian capital 

 on April 28, a journey of 48 hours brought the writer to the city of 

 Kishenef and after making a survey it was decided to establish 

 a base of operations in the forest of Gauchesty, an area of wooded 

 hills adjacent to a village of that name about 30 versts 1 northwest 

 from Kishenef. Since the accommodations in the village of Gau- 

 chesty were of an unsatisfactory character, Mr. Artemy Nazaroff, 

 the manager of the estate of Prince Manook Bey, on the lands of 

 which the more important infested areas existed, invited the writer 

 and his interpreter to become his guests during the progress of the 

 investigation. A suite of rooms in the guest house of Gauchesty 

 castle was placed at our disposal, and Mr. Nazaroff did all in his 

 power to forward our interests and to make agreeable our stay in 

 that part of Russia. An outbuilding upon the farm of the estate 

 was transformed into a laboratory in which was erected a set of 

 rearing frames for the rearing of the parasites. During the first 

 week of April systematic exploration of the adjacent wooded areas 

 was begun. The forest cover was found to consist almost exclusively 

 of young oaks, with a few scattering trees of other species. The 

 ground beneath the trees was fairly free from underbrush and was 

 carpeted with a rich profusion of shrubs and flowers. At a distance 

 of 7 versts from Gauchesty was an area covered with trees of con- 

 siderable age among which the underbrush was comparatively dense. 



From the forester in charge of the timbered areas upon the estate 

 it was learned that the gipsy moth had done great damage to the 

 forest during the previous season, large areas having been completely 

 defoliated. This statement was borne out by the immense number 

 of egg masses attached to the trees. At the time we commenced 

 our investigations the caterpillars had emerged from the eggs but 

 were still resting upon the bark. Few signs of previous parasitic 

 activity were observed beyond the discovery of a number of empty 

 cocoons of Apanteles solitarius Ratz. attached to the bark of the 

 trees. In the ancient forest mentioned above the egg masses were 

 very numerous, but the number of larvse upon the bark was remark- 

 ably small. From the abnormal appearance of most of these egg 

 masses, and from the fact that several Microhymenoptera were dis- 

 covered in them, it seemed probable that a considerable number of 

 the eggs had been destroyed through this agency. In other parts of 

 the forest no evidence was secured indicating the presence of egg 

 parasites. 



The brown-tail moth seemed to be practically absent from the 

 forested areas, but in the open rolling country between Kishenef and 

 Gauchesty many wild pear growing in cultivated fields were found 

 to be completely defoliated. A large number of the larvse were 

 placed in rearing frames but yielded no parasites, not even Meteorus 

 making its appearance. 



By June 1 the caterpillars of the gipsy moth had passed into the 

 second stage and the oak trees were showing obvious signs of damage, 

 but up to this date there was no indication of the emergence of 



1 Verst: Russian measure of distance=3,50Q English feet; 6 versts=approximately 4 English miles. 



