﻿14 
  THE 
  DISPERSION 
  OF 
  THE 
  GIPSY 
  MOTH. 
  

  

  of 
  the 
  Japanese 
  robin 
  they 
  were 
  placed 
  inside 
  the 
  larvae 
  of 
  the 
  meal 
  

   beetle 
  (Tenebrio 
  molitor), 
  while 
  those 
  fed 
  to 
  the 
  screech 
  owl 
  were 
  

   inserted 
  in 
  a 
  freshly 
  killed 
  mouse. 
  

  

  Of 
  52 
  eggs 
  that 
  passed 
  through 
  the 
  Japanese 
  robin 
  three 
  hatched, 
  

   while 
  of 
  112 
  eggs 
  vomited 
  by 
  the 
  screech 
  owl 
  with 
  the 
  remains 
  of 
  the 
  

   mouse 
  seven 
  hatched. 
  No 
  hatching 
  resulted 
  in 
  the 
  experiments 
  with 
  

   the 
  other 
  birds. 
  

  

  The 
  writer 
  says 
  : 
  

  

  To 
  sum 
  up 
  the 
  details 
  of 
  these 
  various 
  experiments 
  it 
  is 
  seen 
  that 
  gipsy- 
  

   moth 
  eggs 
  can 
  withstand 
  the 
  action 
  of 
  the 
  digestive 
  fluids 
  of 
  birds 
  belonging 
  

   to 
  at 
  least 
  two 
  families, 
  Turdidue 
  and 
  Bubonidse, 
  without 
  suffering 
  any, 
  or 
  

   only 
  slight 
  injury. 
  In 
  regard 
  to 
  the 
  large 
  family, 
  Fringillidse, 
  also 
  an 
  insec- 
  

   tivorous 
  group, 
  I 
  am 
  inclined 
  to 
  believe 
  that 
  these 
  birds 
  might 
  also 
  occasionally 
  

   distribute 
  gipsy-moth 
  eggs 
  in 
  spite 
  of 
  the 
  negative 
  results 
  obtained 
  in 
  my 
  

   experiments. 
  

  

  These 
  conclusions 
  seem 
  too 
  sweeping 
  because 
  of 
  the 
  large 
  per- 
  

   centage 
  of 
  the 
  eggs 
  that 
  failed 
  to 
  hatch, 
  and 
  when 
  the 
  conditions 
  

   under 
  which 
  the 
  birds 
  were 
  fed 
  is 
  considered 
  it 
  is 
  doubtful 
  whether 
  

   comparable 
  results 
  would 
  be 
  secured 
  under 
  natural 
  conditions. 
  

  

  The 
  Bubonidse 
  and 
  Fringillidse 
  are 
  not, 
  for 
  the 
  most 
  part, 
  in- 
  

   sectivorous 
  birds, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  doubtful 
  if 
  the 
  latter 
  would, 
  except 
  in 
  

   rare 
  instances, 
  eat 
  eggs 
  without 
  crushing 
  them 
  or 
  at 
  least 
  attempting 
  

   to 
  break 
  away 
  their 
  outer 
  covering, 
  as 
  this 
  is 
  their 
  usual 
  habit 
  when 
  

   feeding 
  o'n 
  seeds, 
  which 
  are 
  their 
  natural 
  food. 
  

  

  Whether 
  eggs 
  would 
  pass 
  through 
  the 
  alimentary 
  canal 
  of 
  some 
  of 
  

   uur 
  less 
  domesticated 
  insectivorous 
  birds 
  unharmed' 
  is 
  an 
  open 
  ques- 
  

   tion, 
  and 
  one 
  very 
  difficult 
  to 
  settle, 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  these 
  wild 
  

   species 
  can 
  not 
  be 
  experimented 
  with 
  in 
  confinement 
  in 
  any 
  satis- 
  

   factory 
  way. 
  It 
  should 
  also 
  be 
  noted 
  that 
  the 
  digestive 
  process 
  in 
  

   birds 
  is 
  more 
  rapid 
  under 
  natural 
  conditions 
  than 
  when 
  they 
  are 
  

   confined 
  for 
  experimental 
  purposes; 
  hence 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  that 
  in 
  nature 
  

   a 
  larger 
  percentage 
  of 
  eggs 
  would 
  withstand 
  the 
  digestive 
  action, 
  

   but 
  the 
  distance 
  that 
  they 
  could 
  be 
  carried 
  would 
  be 
  correspondingly 
  

   reduced. 
  The 
  main 
  question, 
  however, 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  whether 
  birds 
  

   actually 
  eat 
  eggs 
  of 
  the 
  gipsy 
  moth 
  in 
  the 
  field. 
  

  

  Men 
  engaged 
  in 
  the 
  moth 
  work 
  frequently 
  find 
  egg 
  clusters 
  which 
  

   .have 
  been 
  broken, 
  and 
  sometimes 
  in 
  such 
  a 
  condition 
  that 
  one 
  might 
  

   conclude 
  that 
  they 
  had 
  been 
  pecked 
  at 
  by 
  birds. 
  Clusters 
  are 
  

   sometimes 
  broken 
  by 
  squirrels 
  or 
  other 
  animals, 
  and 
  not 
  infrequently 
  

   this 
  is 
  charged 
  up 
  to 
  birds. 
  Mr. 
  John 
  A. 
  Farley, 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  agents 
  

   of 
  the 
  Massachusetts 
  State 
  forester's 
  office, 
  reports 
  the 
  following 
  ob- 
  

   servation, 
  which 
  shows 
  how 
  carefully 
  matters 
  of 
  this 
  nature 
  must 
  

   be 
  investigated 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  prevent 
  error. 
  On 
  visiting 
  a 
  wooded 
  

   area 
  where 
  it 
  had 
  been 
  reported 
  that 
  birds 
  were 
  feeding 
  on 
  gipsy- 
  

   moth 
  eggs 
  and 
  where 
  the 
  clusters 
  showed 
  every 
  indication 
  that 
  this 
  

  

  