IMPORTATION AND HANDLING OF PARASITE MATERIAL. 165 
among those reared. A large number of the shipments has produced 
small or large percentages of these parasites. 
Shipments of pupe collected as such would preferably be made in 
cold storage. The most of the parasites, including those which are 
or which appear to be of the most importance, emerge coincidently 
or nearly so with the moths themselves, and if sent by ordinary mail 
they are apt to issue and die en route. 
COCOONS OF HYMENOPTEROUS PARASITES. 
There is only one hymenopterous parasite of demonstrated impor- 
tance which attacks the gipsy moth, and which spins a cocoon outside 
of the host. This is Apanteles fulvipes, of Europe and Japan, and it is 
probable that the numbers of its cocoons imported as such have 
amounted to at least 1,000,000. 
Little care is necessary in packing these for shipment, other than 
that they must not be crushed, nor yet too damp. A considerable 
degree of dampness has been sustained without injury, but upon one 
occasion in which they were packed between sheets of damp blotting 
paper, there was sufficient moisture present to thoroughly soak the 
cotton and some loss resulted. 
The Japanese have displayed no little ingenuity in devising new 
methods for sending these, and with one exception, just noted, all 
have been good so far as packing was concerned. One method, 
which possessed a certain advantage over the others in permitting 
the adults which chanced to emerge en route a certain amount of very 
advantageous freedom, was used in a single shipment, which, partly 
on that account but principally on others, ranks as immeasurably 
the best ever received. The cocoons, to the number of about 1,000, 
were inclosed in a little wicker cage, which in turn was inclosed in an 
envelope of mosquito netting which prevented the cocoons from scat- 
tering out, but did not hinder the escape of the adults. This cage 
was supported in the very center of a large, otherwise empty wooden 
box by means of strings which were passed through screw eyes in the 
middle of each side and drawn taut. There was nothing loose in the 
box to crush the delicate parasites, no matter how roughly it was 
handled, and they were not only given ample space to expand and 
stretch their wings, but they were kept inactive by the perfect dark- 
ness (or at least were presumably so). It would be a simple matter 
to spray a portion of one side of the box with a very fine dew of 
honey, and if this were done the life of the adults would probably 
be considerably prolonged. 
Cold storage is an absolute necessity if the cocoons of this parasite 
are to be as much as a week en route. The transformations are apt 
