DISTRIBUTION BY MAN. Ill 



widely scattered over the State. Although the danger of 

 the transportation of the moth in the egg form had appeared 

 serious, no trace of the insect was anywhere found.* 



In addition to the freight shipments, another danger of 

 moth transportation lay in the possibility of the cars them- 

 selves carrying some form of the moth. This might happen 

 in case a car had stood for some time on a siding near infested 

 trees or other objects. Two instances are recorded where 

 egg-clusters have been found • on freight cars standing on 

 sidings. This led to an inquiry into the condition of rail- 

 road sidings, whether treeless or not, and if the latter, 

 whether infested or not. It was obvious that if moths were 

 transported by cars and new colonies started, these would 

 be found along the lines of railroad, probably at sidings and 

 stations. This later led to the inspection, as a measure of 

 precaution, of the lines of railroad running north and west 

 out of the infested district, the eastern and western divisions 

 of the Boston & Maine road being followed out as far as 

 Portland, Me., the southern division as far as Concord, N. H., 

 and the Fitchburg road as far as Fitchburg. In the matter of 

 possible danger of moth transportation by cars, the shipment 

 of wood to the Bay State Brick Company in Medford de- 

 serves mention. The premises of this brick company are 

 infested. Thousands of cords of wood are shipped there 

 yearly from New Hampshire points, and the same platform 

 cars were in the past often sent back and forth again and 

 again. A certain amount of danger had unquestionably 

 attached to this species of traffic. The places of shipment 

 in New Hampshire were consequently visited and the sidings 

 in their neighborhood carefully examined, but no trace of the 

 moth was found. In this work additional information was 

 secured whenever possible as to any communication between 

 outside points and the infested region. This inspection of 

 suspected localities outside the State was rendered necessary 

 in connection with the policy of extermination, which pro- 

 ceeded on the theory that the moth was confined to a limited 

 area in the State of Massachusetts. 



* The danger of transportation of eggs was lessened by the fact that the finest 

 bricks, the only ones sent to a distance, were cleaned before being shipped. 



