﻿12 
  THE 
  DISPERSION 
  OF 
  THE 
  GIPSY 
  MOTH. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  fall 
  of 
  1910 
  a 
  flourishing 
  gipsy-moth 
  colony 
  was 
  found 
  on 
  a 
  

   farm 
  at 
  Charlton, 
  Mass. 
  The 
  worst 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  infestation 
  was 
  in 
  a 
  

   small 
  orchard 
  near 
  the 
  farmhouse 
  and 
  in 
  a 
  row 
  of 
  trees 
  some 
  dis- 
  

   tance 
  away 
  which 
  bordered 
  on 
  cultivated 
  land. 
  Inquiry 
  showed 
  that 
  

   for 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  years 
  it 
  had 
  been 
  the 
  custom 
  for 
  the 
  owners 
  of 
  this 
  

   farm 
  to 
  take 
  children 
  from 
  Boston 
  and 
  vicinity 
  for 
  summer 
  boarders. 
  

   The 
  vacation 
  of 
  each 
  boarder 
  usually 
  lasted 
  about 
  two 
  weeks, 
  so 
  that 
  

   they 
  were 
  continually 
  changing, 
  and 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  doubt 
  that 
  gipsy- 
  

   moth 
  caterpillars 
  or 
  egg 
  masses 
  were 
  brought 
  from 
  the 
  infested 
  

   regions 
  in 
  the 
  baggage 
  of 
  the 
  visitors. 
  

  

  Many 
  similar 
  cases 
  might 
  be 
  cited, 
  but 
  this 
  will 
  suffice 
  to 
  illustrate 
  

   the 
  ease 
  with 
  which 
  this 
  insect 
  may 
  be 
  carried 
  long 
  distances. 
  

  

  In 
  December, 
  1909, 
  a 
  flourishing 
  colony 
  of 
  the 
  gipsy 
  moth 
  was 
  

   found 
  in 
  the 
  residential 
  section 
  of 
  Wallingford, 
  Conn. 
  This 
  is 
  more 
  

   than 
  100 
  miles 
  from 
  the 
  nearest 
  badly 
  infested 
  area. 
  Examination 
  

   showed 
  that 
  the 
  worst 
  infested 
  trees 
  were 
  in 
  the 
  business 
  section, 
  and 
  

   many 
  of 
  them 
  were 
  in 
  the 
  rear 
  of 
  a 
  grocery 
  and 
  provision 
  store. 
  

   Supplies 
  of 
  vegetables, 
  such 
  as 
  early 
  lettuce, 
  cucumbers, 
  and 
  toma- 
  

   toes, 
  had 
  been 
  received 
  in 
  season 
  by 
  this 
  store 
  from 
  market 
  gardens 
  

   located 
  near 
  Boston, 
  and 
  there 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  little 
  doubt 
  that 
  egg 
  

   clusters 
  of 
  the 
  gipsy 
  moth 
  had 
  been 
  transported 
  inadvertently 
  on 
  

   the 
  boxes 
  or 
  in 
  the 
  packing 
  material. 
  

  

  RELATION 
  OF 
  BIRDS 
  TO 
  THE 
  DISPERSION 
  OF 
  THE 
  GIPSY 
  MOTH. 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  past 
  few 
  years 
  the 
  scouting 
  operations 
  in 
  Massachusetts 
  

   and 
  New 
  Hampshire 
  have 
  resulted 
  in 
  the 
  discovery 
  of 
  gipsy-moth 
  

   colonies 
  in 
  regions 
  inaccessible 
  to 
  travel, 
  and 
  often 
  in 
  places 
  which 
  

   would 
  seldom, 
  if 
  ever, 
  be 
  frequented 
  by 
  man. 
  This 
  condition 
  of 
  

   affairs 
  has 
  occurred 
  so 
  often, 
  and 
  an 
  explanation 
  for 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  

   these 
  colonies 
  became 
  so 
  difficult, 
  that 
  it 
  seemed 
  desirable 
  to 
  take 
  

   up 
  the 
  subject 
  in 
  a 
  more 
  thorough-going 
  manner 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  

   determining 
  whether 
  the 
  insect 
  might 
  be 
  distributed 
  by 
  some 
  other 
  

   means. 
  In 
  some 
  of 
  these 
  cases 
  it 
  is 
  possible 
  that 
  the 
  colonies 
  might 
  

   have 
  started 
  from 
  caterpillars 
  that 
  had 
  been 
  dropped 
  by 
  birds, 
  

   but 
  the 
  distances 
  between 
  many 
  of 
  them 
  and 
  known 
  infested 
  regions 
  

   were 
  so 
  great 
  as 
  to 
  render 
  this 
  theory 
  in 
  most 
  cases 
  highly 
  improb- 
  

   able. 
  Furthermore, 
  when 
  caterpillars 
  are 
  picked 
  up 
  by 
  birds 
  they 
  

   are 
  usually 
  injured 
  to 
  a 
  greater 
  or 
  less 
  extent, 
  and 
  the 
  chances 
  of 
  

   their 
  developing 
  so 
  that 
  vigorous 
  colonies 
  would 
  result 
  in 
  a 
  few 
  

   years 
  are 
  very 
  remote. 
  Another 
  factor 
  in 
  relation 
  to 
  the 
  influence 
  

   of 
  birds 
  on 
  the 
  spread 
  of 
  the 
  gipsy 
  moth, 
  and 
  one 
  which 
  has 
  received 
  

   much 
  serious 
  consideration, 
  is 
  the 
  possibility 
  of 
  their 
  feeding 
  upon 
  

   the 
  eggs 
  of 
  the 
  species 
  and 
  distributing 
  them 
  in 
  the 
  excrement. 
  If 
  

   fertile 
  eggs 
  of 
  the 
  gipsy 
  moth 
  should 
  be 
  eaten 
  and 
  pass 
  through 
  the 
  

   alimentary 
  canal 
  of 
  some 
  of 
  our 
  insectivorous 
  birds 
  without 
  sustain- 
  

  

  