144 FOREST PROTECTION AND CONSERVATION 
Franklin, Cumberland, Lincoln, Piscataquis, Penobscot, Waldo, 
Knox, Aroostook, Washington and Hancock Counties. It is also 
certain that it was to be found in Oxford, Somerset, and Sagada- 
hoe Counties, and almost as certainly in the remaining three 
counties of the state. However, the greatest damage was done in 
the great inland spruce and balsam forests of the northern half 
of the state which are the main source of supply for the pulp mills. 
Usually one’s attention is first attracted to this insect in the 
spring or early summer by the wilted or blighted appearance of the 
new growth at the ends of the branches and twigs of spruce and 
balsam. This has often been described as resembling the effect 
produced by the passage of a light fire through the woods. If these 
blighted tips are examined they will be seen to be made up of the 
ends of the needles or leaves of the new spring growth which has 
been gnawed through at the base, but are still held loosely together 
by a silken, web-like substance. If one of these loose masses is 
opened, one or several caterpillars are likely to be found within. 
These are the culprits responsible for the damage. Each when 
about full grown is from 14 to 34, of an inch long, with dark, nearly 
black head and with body of a general brown color, more or less 
diffused with green at the sides. Each segment has several light- 
colored warts; dark at the center, from which arises a hair. The 
insect begins feeding in the spring soon after the development of 
the new needles and as they eat only the bases of these, the entire 
new growth is usually destroyed before the caterpillar reaches its 
full size about the middle of June. The uneaten portions of the 
leaves are held together by means of a silken thread spun by the 
larvee, which thus forms a loose but more or less complete covering 
or shelter in which it remains at all times. If all of the new growth 
is destroyed before the larva becomes full fed, it extends its opera- 
tions toward the base of the twig and feeds upon the older needles. 
The larve are usually full grown during the first half of June, 
and, still in their loose shelter of gnawed-off needles, transform to 
pups. These, in the course of the next week or two, give rise to 
medium-sized, brownish-grey moths, which in infested regions are 
flying in numbers during the last week in June and the first half 
of July. The moths deposit their eggs in small, light green masses 
on the sides of the needles. These eggs are flat and rather scale like 
and are so placed that they form small oval masses which are so 
inconspicuous as to escape casual notice. The eggs are all laid 
before the last of July and the larve from them hatch in a week or 
ten days. These minute larve feed for a time, but perhaps only 
