5

Concord, Mass.
1915.
April, May
&
June
(No 5)

Cotton-tail Rabbits

  Of Cotton-tail Rabbits we have had comparatively few within recent
years. This spring I saw them oftener than for several years past, usually in
the Berry Pasture or in birch coverts near the corn pasture. In May a young
one, scarce bigger than a Red Squirrel, frequented our lawn and often
appeared at evening on the lawns in front of the house where it frisked
about most charmingly, often running swiftly in narrow circles and
sometimes leaping abruptly straight upward to an astonishing height.
I fear it perished when the dooryard elms were sprayed in early June
for after that it was not seen again among the now poison laden
herbiage beneath their shade.

Moth ravages

  Concord woods generally, as well as those lying along the roads
leading from that town towards Cambridge were less troubled by
Gypsy and Brown-tail caterpillars than for six or eight years past
and almost nowhere seriously devastated. They would have been,
however, close about our Farm (especially in the Run) and also on
Ball's Hill had we not sprayed heavily and thoroughly there for
there were large and flourishing colonies of Gypsy larvae hatched in
both localities. The growth of these pests was much retarded by the
exceptionally cool weather and the poisoned foliage caused the death
of most of them. Brown-tails were comparatively scarce except at
Ball's Hill and Tent Caterpillars much less numerous than last year.
Practically all the latter perished of "wilt" when about half grown. I
afterwards saw only one fully mature one. Forest Tent Caterpillars appeared
in moderate numbers & did some damage. I failed to note that the
"wilt" troubled them at all or the Gypsies overmuch but the latter
must have suffered considerably from the Calosoma Beetles which
were numerously distributed everywhere. Towards the close of June
the unsprayed woods showed traces of denuded foliage in many places
and in a few localities were almost completely stripped over several acres
in extent but for the most part remained clothed in luxuriant foliage.