OTHER MEANS OF DISPERSING THE GIPSY MOTH. 11 
caterpillars, and the presence of the insect in woodland surrounding 
lakes and ponds which were frequented by camping parties was the 
natural result. During midsummer, when caterpillars were abun- 
dant, they could frequently be seen crawling on the clothing of 
people on electric cars and sometimes have been observed on the 
seats and running boards. In this way they are often carried consid- 
erable distances. 
THE AUTOMOBILE AS A MEANS OF DISPERSING THE GIPSY MOTH. 
Perhaps no single form of transportation has caused so wide a 
dispersion of this insect as the automobile. When the gipsy moth 
was most abundant during the nineties it was seldom possible for 
caterpillars to be conveyed on teams or wagons more than 20 miles 
in a single day, but with the advent of the automobile this danger 
was greatly increased. In fact, since this mode of travel has be- 
come popular the traffic between the cities in eastern Massachusetts 
and the seashore and mountain regions in Maine, New Hampshire, 
and Vermont has increased remarkably, and the spread of the insect 
has been proportionately greater. 
The lines of automobile travel are usually along trunk roads, many 
of which are bordered by badly infested woodland. These condi- 
tions afford an excellent opportunity for the young caterpillars to 
spin down from the trees and to be carried away by any moving 
object with which they come in contact. Cases are on record where 
city residents who own country or seashore places have caused them 
to become infested by journeying back and forth b}^ automobile. So 
many cases of this kind have been found that it is now considered 
one of the easiest means by which the insect is spread. Automobile 
traffic is very heavy in June, when the gipsy moth is most likely to 
be carried in the caterpillar stage. 
OTHER MEANS OF DISPERSING THE GIPSY MOTH. 
Another means by which the gipsy moth is dispersed to outlying 
regions is through the unintentional carriage of caterpillars or egg 
clusters by visitors or travelers. In 1906 this insect was found in 
small numbers on the grounds of the National Soldiers' Home at 
Togus, Me. The nearest known infestation at that time was 81 miles- 
away, and, from the condition of the infestation and the circum- 
stances connected with it, it seemed probable that the insect had been 
brought there either in the egg or caterpillar stage on the clothing 
or among the effects of some of the inmates or visitors who came 
from the infested area in Massachusetts. Isolated infestations are 
continually being found in towns some distance from the infested 
area, especially on farms or in camps where parties from Boston and 
vicinity spend their summer vacations. 
