﻿182 
  Forty-seventh 
  Report 
  on 
  the 
  State 
  Museum. 
  

  

  How 
  a 
  work 
  of 
  such 
  magnitude 
  — 
  extending 
  over 
  two 
  hundred 
  

   square 
  miles, 
  with 
  the 
  insect 
  so 
  abundant 
  that 
  in 
  one 
  locality 
  the 
  

   entire 
  side 
  of 
  a 
  house 
  was 
  so 
  closely 
  covered 
  with 
  the 
  caterpillars 
  

   that 
  the 
  point 
  of 
  a 
  pencil 
  could 
  not 
  be 
  thrust 
  among 
  them 
  with- 
  

   out 
  touching 
  them 
  — 
  could 
  have 
  been 
  accomplished, 
  was 
  an 
  

   enigma 
  to 
  me 
  until 
  the 
  means 
  by 
  which 
  it 
  was 
  done 
  had 
  been 
  

   shown 
  and 
  explained 
  to 
  me. 
  

  

  The 
  only 
  suggestions 
  that 
  occurred 
  to 
  me 
  to 
  offer 
  to 
  the 
  com- 
  

   mittee 
  in 
  response 
  to 
  their 
  request, 
  were 
  these 
  two: 
  Now 
  that 
  

   the 
  mechanical 
  details 
  of 
  field-work 
  were 
  rapidly 
  diminishing 
  

   with 
  the 
  steady 
  reduction 
  of 
  the 
  insect, 
  there 
  was 
  both 
  the 
  

   greater 
  need 
  and 
  the 
  opportunity 
  of 
  such 
  scientific 
  work 
  as 
  might 
  

   serve 
  to 
  complete 
  the 
  labors 
  of 
  the 
  committee 
  and 
  present 
  the 
  

   result 
  in 
  form 
  that 
  would 
  render 
  it 
  available 
  for 
  future 
  use 
  when- 
  

   ever 
  the 
  necessity 
  might 
  arise 
  for 
  a 
  resort 
  to 
  similar 
  methods 
  in 
  

   other 
  insect 
  invasions 
  hereafter. 
  A 
  volume 
  or 
  two, 
  which 
  should 
  

   treat 
  exhaustively 
  of 
  the 
  gypsy 
  moth 
  and 
  the 
  methods 
  employed 
  

   for 
  its 
  extermination, 
  might 
  be 
  another 
  contribution 
  to 
  natural 
  

   science 
  which 
  would 
  rank 
  with 
  those 
  which 
  Massachusetts 
  had 
  

   already 
  made. 
  

  

  It 
  was 
  also 
  recommended 
  that 
  at 
  this 
  stage 
  of 
  the 
  committee's 
  

   work, 
  the 
  cultivation 
  of 
  the 
  parasites 
  of 
  the 
  gypsy-moth 
  (of 
  which 
  

   about 
  a 
  score 
  of 
  native 
  ones 
  are 
  already 
  known) 
  be 
  entered 
  upon 
  

   and 
  conducted 
  with 
  all 
  the 
  knowledge 
  and 
  skill 
  that 
  could 
  be 
  

   brought 
  to 
  bear 
  upon 
  it. 
  

  

  A 
  plan 
  for 
  the 
  artificial 
  rearing 
  proposed 
  was 
  suggested, 
  

   embracing 
  in 
  brief 
  these 
  points 
  : 
  The 
  entire 
  collection 
  of 
  the 
  

   pupae 
  for 
  this 
  year, 
  which 
  might 
  amount 
  to 
  twenty 
  thousand, 
  should 
  

   be 
  preserved, 
  placed 
  in 
  suitable 
  cases, 
  and 
  kept, 
  through 
  cold 
  

   storage, 
  from 
  giving 
  out 
  their 
  parasites 
  until 
  caterpillars 
  of 
  suit- 
  

   able 
  age 
  and 
  reared 
  from 
  eggs 
  gathered 
  for 
  the 
  purpose, 
  could 
  be 
  

   inclosed 
  with 
  them 
  to 
  receive 
  the 
  entire 
  parasitic 
  oviposition. 
  

   The 
  parasitized 
  caterpillars 
  should 
  be 
  properly 
  1 
  guarded 
  until 
  

   their 
  pupation, 
  when 
  the 
  parasites 
  that 
  they 
  would 
  disclose 
  within 
  

   the 
  cases 
  should 
  have 
  a 
  caterpillar 
  supply 
  in 
  readiness 
  for 
  them. 
  

   This 
  round 
  could 
  be 
  repeated 
  as 
  long 
  as 
  there 
  seemed 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  

   necessity 
  for 
  it 
  and 
  the 
  parasites 
  could 
  be 
  obtained. 
  

  

  By 
  the 
  above 
  method, 
  or 
  by 
  some 
  modification 
  of 
  it, 
  it 
  would 
  

   seem 
  that 
  an 
  actual 
  extermination 
  of 
  the 
  insect 
  can 
  be 
  effected, 
  

   and 
  possibly 
  in 
  no 
  other 
  way. 
  

  

  