24 



described by Mr. Felt committed serious local damage in the vicinity of 

 Boston this season. The injury was confined to tlie silver maple and 

 the horse chestnut. The larvae collected were parasitized and he had 

 secured no imago s. 



Mr. Osborn commented on the value of records similar to those given 

 in the paper relating to periodicity and dates of occurrence of insects 

 in different States, and the possibility after many such records having 

 been accumulated of obtaining a correct understanding of the factors 

 determining periodicity and the effect of temperature on times of 

 appearance. 



Professor Fernald presented the following paper: 



THE BROWN-TAIL MOTH. 



(Euproctis chrysorrficea Linn.) 



By C. H. Ferxald, Amherst, 2Iass. 



The brown-tail moth is a native of Europe, occurring in all parts of 

 that country except in the extreme north. It also occurs in Morroco, 

 Algeria, and Asia Minor. In Great Britain it is apparently confined 

 to the southeastern counties of England, though, as Mr. Barrett states, 

 there is some reason to believe that its range was formerly much wider 

 than at present. There are two records of this insect having been 

 taken in Scotland, and it has also been taken in Ireland, but this last 

 is believed to be an error. 



It is an interesting fact that this insect is becoming rare in parts of 

 England where it was formerly common, and active measures are being 

 taken by English entomologists to prevent the extinction of this and a 

 few other species that appear to be doomed to the same fate. Various 

 reasons have been given for the gradual extinction in England of the 

 brown-tail moth, the gipsy moth, and several other species, but none 

 of them, so far as I can judge, are under our control, and I do not feel 

 entirely sure that the real cause of their extermination has as yet been 

 discovered. 



NAMES. 



This insect was first scientifically described and named Bombyx cliry- 

 sorrhcea by Limmeus in 1758, but it has since been placed by different 

 authors in other genera, as Euproctis, Liparis, and Porthesia. The 

 oldest of these, the genus Euproctis established by Hiibner, has been 

 adopted by many of our leading entomologists, and seems to be the 

 most correct one to use. We have, therefore, adopted the scientific 

 name FAiproctis clirysovrhoea Linn., and the common name, brown -tail 

 moth, since this appears to be almost universally used in modern 

 English writings. 



FOOD PLANTS IN EUROPE. 



The brown-tail moth is reported in Europe as feeding on apple, pear, 

 plum, oak, beech, elm, willow, mountain ash, blackthorn, Cotoneaster 

 vulgaris, Sanguisorbis officinalis, and other plants. 





