QUANTITY OF PARASITE MATERIAL IMPORTED. 167 
will depend upon the characteristics of the particular species under 
consideration. So far as known, no tachinid which forms a free 
puparium outside of its host is injured by exposure to moisture. 
The pupal period of the majority of the tachinid parasites of the 
gipsy moth and the brown-tail moth is quite short, usually lasting 
less than two weeks. It is therefore necessary to make use of cold 
storage en route, in order to make certain that the adults will not 
hatch before arrival. By far the larger part of the puparia which 
have been received at the laboratory have thus hatched, except when 
they were of species which naturally hibernated unless they were 
shipped in cold storage. 
CALOSOMA AND OTHER PREDACEOUS BEETLES. 
Quite a variety of the large carabid beetles has been imported from 
abroad for experimentation as to their serviceability as enemies of 
the gipsy moth, or for liberation in the field after this pomt had been 
demonstrated satisfactorily. At first some difficulty was experi- 
enced in accomplishing their importation successfully, but later it 
was found to be a simple matter if proper care was used in packing. 
The great majority of them have come in ordinary safety-match boxes 
(Pl. X, fig. 2), each box containing one beetle and a wisp of sphagnum 
moss. Usually one or two caterpillars or other sort of succulent 
insect have been included for the purpose of lunch en route, but the 
practice is of rather doubtful value in the case of those species which 
have been handled in the largest numbers in the laboratory. Should 
the beetle not fancy the quality of the sustenance provided, or refuse 
to eat for any other reason, death and decomposition of the victim 
may result disastrously and be prejudicial to the health of the beetle. 
These small match boxes have been packed in larger wooden boxes 
and sent through the ordinary mails with little loss of life. Other 
small wooden or paper boxes have similarly been used with equal 
success. 
Cold storage has occasionally been employed in a few minor ship- 
ments from Europe with very good results. In 1910 a large ship- 
ment of living beetles was received in cold storage from Japan in 
most excellent condition. 
QUANTITY OF PARASITE MATERIAL IMPORTED. 
In Mr. Kirkland’s first report as superintendent for suppressing the 
gipsy moth and the brown-tail moth in Massachusetts, several pages 
were devoted to a detailed account of each shipment of parasite 
material received from abroad. After the first year no attempt to 
continue this practice was made, and if it were now attempted to treat 
each separate shipment with the same attention to detail, several 
hundred additional pages would be required. 
