﻿CONTINUED 
  DISPERSION 
  OF 
  THE 
  SPECIES 
  UNEXPLAINED. 
  15 
  

  

  conclusion 
  was 
  correct, 
  he 
  found 
  that 
  the 
  chickadees 
  (Penthestes 
  

   atricapillm) 
  were 
  working 
  among 
  the 
  clusters 
  and 
  were 
  apparently 
  

   feeding. 
  On 
  making 
  a 
  more 
  thorough 
  examination 
  he 
  found 
  that 
  a 
  

   few 
  small 
  white-pine 
  seeds 
  had 
  been 
  stored 
  away 
  in 
  the 
  cavities 
  that 
  

   were 
  made 
  by 
  the 
  birds 
  in 
  the 
  gipsy-moth 
  egg 
  clusters. 
  No 
  egg- 
  

   shells 
  or 
  other 
  evidences 
  of 
  feeding 
  were 
  found, 
  and 
  later 
  Mr. 
  Farley 
  

   saw 
  the 
  birds 
  depositing 
  the 
  seeds. 
  Later 
  in 
  the 
  season 
  an 
  examina- 
  

   tion 
  was 
  made 
  and 
  the 
  seeds 
  previously 
  secreted 
  were 
  missing. 
  Dis- 
  

   sections 
  have 
  shown 
  that 
  pine 
  seeds 
  are 
  a 
  favorite 
  food 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  

   and 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  often 
  collected 
  and 
  stored 
  for 
  a 
  winter 
  food 
  supply. 
  

   The 
  reliability 
  of 
  these 
  data 
  is 
  unquestioned 
  and 
  throws 
  an 
  interest- 
  

   ing 
  light 
  on 
  the 
  subject. 
  

  

  It 
  has 
  been 
  suggested 
  by 
  Mr. 
  AVilliam 
  Brewster, 
  the 
  well-known 
  

   ornithologist 
  of 
  Concord, 
  Mass., 
  that 
  the 
  gipsy 
  moth 
  may 
  be 
  spread 
  

   in 
  the 
  egg 
  stage 
  by 
  crows, 
  hawks, 
  and 
  other 
  large 
  birds 
  that 
  make 
  

   nests 
  (PL 
  IV) 
  of 
  large 
  twigs, 
  as 
  it 
  would 
  be 
  possible 
  for 
  them 
  to 
  

   carry 
  material 
  which 
  was 
  infested 
  with 
  egg 
  clusters. 
  This 
  may 
  

   happen 
  in 
  some 
  cases, 
  but 
  it 
  seems 
  probable 
  that 
  it 
  would 
  result 
  in 
  

   local 
  rather 
  than 
  long-distance 
  dispersion. 
  

  

  In 
  view 
  of 
  the 
  results 
  secured 
  by 
  the 
  experiments 
  above 
  mentioned 
  

   and 
  of 
  the 
  observations 
  cited 
  it 
  seems 
  that 
  the 
  evidence 
  is 
  wholly 
  

   inadequate 
  to 
  prove 
  that 
  birds 
  were 
  responsible 
  for 
  distributing 
  the 
  

   gipsy 
  moth 
  to 
  the 
  large 
  area 
  which 
  was 
  annually 
  becoming 
  infested. 
  

   Furthermore, 
  towns 
  where 
  only 
  one 
  small 
  infestation 
  was 
  found 
  

   might, 
  the 
  following 
  year, 
  be 
  infested 
  in 
  20 
  or 
  30 
  different 
  locali- 
  

   ties, 
  all 
  of 
  which 
  were 
  remote 
  from 
  influences 
  which 
  would 
  favor 
  

   artificial 
  means 
  of 
  spread. 
  As 
  the 
  first 
  infestation 
  found 
  in 
  a 
  town 
  

   is 
  usually 
  small 
  and 
  is 
  thoroughly 
  treated, 
  no 
  reasonable 
  explanation 
  

   could 
  be 
  given 
  for 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  so 
  many 
  colonies 
  the 
  following 
  

   year. 
  The 
  fact, 
  also, 
  that 
  many 
  of 
  these 
  outbreaks 
  were 
  located 
  in 
  

   places 
  that 
  were 
  seldom 
  frequented 
  by 
  men 
  or 
  animals 
  indicated 
  

   strongly 
  that 
  some 
  other 
  natural 
  means 
  must 
  assist 
  the 
  insect 
  in 
  

   becoming 
  generally 
  dispersed. 
  

  

  CONTINUED 
  DISPERSION 
  OF 
  THE 
  SPECIES 
  UNEXPLAINED. 
  

  

  For 
  several 
  years 
  this 
  matter 
  was 
  thoroughly 
  considered 
  by 
  the 
  

   officials 
  connected 
  with 
  the 
  gipsy-moth 
  work, 
  but 
  it 
  seemed 
  impossible 
  

   to 
  come 
  to 
  any 
  conclusion 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  means 
  whereby 
  so 
  many 
  small 
  

   isolated 
  colonies 
  had 
  become 
  established. 
  The 
  theory 
  was 
  advanced 
  

   that 
  occasionally 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  female 
  moths, 
  developed 
  in 
  a 
  badly 
  

   infested 
  colony 
  where 
  the 
  adults 
  were 
  abnormally 
  small 
  on 
  account 
  

   of 
  an 
  insufficient 
  food 
  supply 
  for 
  the 
  larva*, 
  might 
  be 
  able 
  to 
  fly, 
  and 
  

   in 
  this 
  way 
  cause 
  the 
  dissemination 
  of 
  the 
  pest. 
  No 
  facts 
  to 
  prove 
  

   this 
  theory 
  have 
  ever 
  been 
  secured, 
  and 
  although 
  this 
  might 
  happen 
  

  

  occasionally 
  it 
  wholly 
  fails 
  to 
  explain 
  the 
  reason 
  for 
  numerous 
  small 
  

  

  