﻿52 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  enemy 
  of 
  lindens, 
  has 
  risen 
  with 
  phenomenal 
  rapidity 
  from 
  the 
  

   obscurity 
  of 
  recent 
  years. 
  The 
  past 
  season 
  has 
  been 
  most 
  remarkable 
  

   for 
  the 
  extensive 
  flights 
  of 
  the 
  snow-white 
  moths 
  [pi. 
  i, 
  fig. 
  2] 
  in 
  

   many 
  cities 
  and 
  villages, 
  not 
  only 
  in 
  New 
  York 
  State 
  but 
  in 
  other 
  

   sections. 
  The 
  moths 
  were 
  so 
  numerous 
  about 
  electric 
  lights 
  as 
  to 
  

   attract 
  widespread 
  attention. 
  Their 
  advent 
  in 
  New 
  York 
  city 
  

   occurred 
  about 
  July 
  16 
  and 
  the 
  effect 
  was 
  aptly 
  compared 
  by 
  various 
  

   writers 
  to 
  a 
  snowstorm. 
  In 
  the 
  well 
  lighted 
  sections 
  myriads 
  could 
  

   be 
  seen 
  circling 
  about 
  the 
  electric 
  lights 
  and 
  invading 
  many 
  bril- 
  

   liantly 
  lighted 
  places 
  in 
  such 
  numbers 
  as 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  veritable 
  nuisance. 
  

   The 
  following 
  morning- 
  the 
  arc 
  lights 
  were 
  found 
  choked 
  with 
  the 
  

   insects, 
  and 
  characteristic 
  groups 
  of 
  snow-white 
  wing's 
  here 
  and 
  

   there 
  were 
  mute 
  evidences 
  to 
  the 
  voracity 
  of 
  the 
  English 
  sparrow. 
  

   This 
  bird, 
  despite 
  its 
  numerous 
  failings, 
  destroyed 
  thousands 
  of 
  the 
  

   moths, 
  hunting 
  them 
  without 
  mercy 
  until 
  there 
  were 
  comparatively 
  

   few 
  survivors 
  from 
  the 
  night 
  before. 
  The 
  abundance 
  of 
  the 
  insects 
  

   and 
  the 
  extended 
  area 
  where 
  swarms 
  were 
  present 
  is 
  most 
  remark- 
  

   able. 
  Aside 
  from 
  New 
  York 
  city, 
  where 
  the 
  largest 
  number 
  of 
  the 
  

   moths 
  seemed 
  to 
  be 
  present, 
  they 
  were 
  reported 
  by 
  the 
  local 
  press 
  

   as 
  swarming 
  at 
  Nyack, 
  O'ssining, 
  Newburgh. 
  Hudson, 
  Albany, 
  Troy, 
  

   Cohoes, 
  Ballston, 
  Saratoga, 
  Glens 
  Falls, 
  Schenectady, 
  Amsterdam, 
  

   Johnsonville, 
  Gloversville, 
  Little 
  Falls, 
  Herkimer, 
  Ilion 
  and 
  Utica. 
  

   It 
  is 
  interesting 
  to 
  note 
  that 
  the 
  moths 
  appeared 
  in 
  Albany 
  and 
  

   other 
  northern 
  localities 
  about 
  five 
  days 
  later 
  than 
  at 
  New 
  York 
  

   city. 
  Aside 
  from 
  the 
  above 
  mentioned 
  records, 
  the 
  local 
  press 
  of 
  

   numerous 
  other 
  cities 
  and 
  villages 
  contained 
  brief 
  notices 
  of 
  the 
  

   swarming 
  of 
  this 
  species, 
  though 
  with 
  no 
  record 
  as 
  to 
  local 
  occur- 
  

   rence. 
  The 
  widespread 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  flight 
  is 
  well 
  illustrated 
  

   by 
  authentic 
  records 
  of 
  hosts 
  occurring 
  at 
  Newark, 
  N. 
  J., 
  Spring- 
  

   field, 
  Mass. 
  and 
  Oittawa, 
  Can., 
  the 
  latter 
  flight 
  occurring 
  July 
  23d. 
  

   This 
  visitation 
  is 
  all 
  the 
  more 
  striking 
  when 
  it 
  is 
  recalled 
  that 
  in 
  

   recent 
  years 
  at 
  least, 
  this 
  moth 
  has 
  been 
  comparatively 
  rare, 
  hardly 
  

   attracting 
  notice 
  for 
  a 
  generation, 
  despite 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  in 
  earlier 
  

   years 
  it 
  was 
  considered 
  an 
  important 
  enemy 
  of 
  lindens. 
  

  

  The 
  remarkable 
  local 
  swarms 
  recorded 
  above 
  are 
  probably 
  due 
  to 
  

   conditions 
  being 
  generally 
  favorable 
  for 
  the 
  multiplication 
  of 
  the 
  

   species 
  throughout 
  the 
  infested 
  area. 
  There 
  is 
  a 
  possibility 
  that 
  

   some 
  of 
  the 
  flights 
  were 
  due 
  to 
  swarms 
  drifting 
  with 
  the 
  wind 
  from 
  

   defoliated 
  tracts 
  lying 
  at 
  some 
  distance. 
  This 
  is 
  hardly 
  an 
  adequate 
  

   explanation 
  for 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  local 
  swarms, 
  particu- 
  

   larly 
  as 
  observations 
  in 
  Albany 
  show 
  that 
  the 
  linden 
  foliage 
  in 
  the 
  

  

  