128 Bulletin 76 



to know that it is so; but it appears to be certain that Vermont will not 

 produce the accustomed amount of sugar for a good many years to come. 



IV. THE COMBAT AGAINST THE FOREST CATERPILLAR 



1. NATURAL AIDS 



Climatic conditions often very materially assist man in his efforts to 

 rid himself of most insects, but the species we are considering seems to be 

 unusually insensible to the weather and little can be hoped from this 

 source. The first year of its appearance in this state was cool and wet, but 

 the warm and dry seasons that have followed have to all appearance been 

 just as favorable to its increase. The forest caterpillar has, however, a 

 considerable list of foes among our common animals, especially among 

 birds and insects. 



The most important birds that feed upon either the caterpillar or moth 

 or both, are the black-capped titmouse or chickadee, the cuckpo, redstart, 

 robin, chipping sparrow, oriole, cat bird, vireos, cedar bird, and nuthatches ; 

 and even the English sparrow has been reported by various observers as 

 eating the caterpillars. The chickadee is one of the most useful of our 

 friends since it eats the eggs ; and as the bird is a winter resident, it is able 

 while the foliage is oft the trees, to find and destroy a vast number of eggs. 

 Weed' states that "the nuthatches, according to Miss Soule's account 

 'would stand by a patch of larvse lying close together below a tar band on a 

 tree and eat so voraciously and with such an entire abandonment of self- 

 consciousness that I could go close and put my hand on them before they 

 would fly.' The nuthatches and chickadees also tear open the cocoons 

 and eat the pupae inside." 



It is very probable that the list of birds which feed upon the forest 

 caterpillars might be greatly extended. 



INSECTS 



The list of insect enemies of the forest caterpillar is quite a long one. 

 Less useful perhaps than parasitic insects, though not to be overlooked, are 

 certain beetles and bugs that feed upon the caterpillars, especially when 

 they are crawling on the ground. Figure 11 shows the likeness of an old 

 friend that eats many injurious insects and may represent the whole group, 

 though its members vary much in si^e and appearance. 



Far more useful in helping to diminish the numbers of the pest are the 

 parasitic insects. There are two groups of these, one of which is composed 



I Loc. cit. , p. 92. 



