CIRCUMSTANCES OCCASIONING WORK. 
49 
No attempt has boon made to import parasites thus far for the reason that the law 
require! the work to be conducted with direct reference to the extermination of the 
gipsy moth, and, therefore, the general destruction of the insect would also destroy 
the parasites. There is no reason why our native hymenopterous parasites may not 
prove to be quite as effective as those of any other country, since there is no parasite 
known which confines itself exclusively to the gipsy moth, and. as has been Bhown, 
we have several species which attack it as readily as any in its native country. 
This position with regard to the nonimportation so iong as exter- 
mination of the gipsy moth was the end, held until the State of 
Massachusetts ceased its appropriations, in the year 1900. 
CIRCUMSTANCES WHICH BROUGHT ABOUT THE ACTUAL BEGIN- 
NING OF THE WORK. 
During the five years that elapsed before the State again began to 
appropriate money for the suppression of the gipsy moth and the 
blown-tail moth, as is well known, the gipsy moth spread from a 
restricted territory of :;.V.) square miles throughout an extended range 
of 2:22\ square miles and even more. As soon as the effort to exter- 
minate it was abandoned, owinjj to the lapse of the appropriations 
for the year loot), the project of Importing parasites was taken up 
by the Chief of the Bureau of Entomology, who be^an correspond- 
ence with a' number of European entomologists with this end in view. 
Especial efforts were made to import the Calosomas, but failed, 
partly o\vin# to a hick of interest in the matter on the part of the 
Europeans. In L902 Mr. \V. B, AJwood, entomologist of the Vir- 
ginia Agricultural Experiment Station, went abroad for a series of 
months and was requested by the chief of the entomological service 
of the l/nited States Depart incut of Agriculture to endeavor to find, 
in some well-placed situation in Europe, one or more competent col- 
lectors of insects who would undertake systematically to send gipsy- 
moth parasites to America. This effort also failed, and Mr. Alwood 
was unable to find the proper persons. Finally, in December, 1904, 
Congress was asked to make a small appropriation for the distinct 
purpose of attempting the importation of these parasites, and the 
sum of $2,500 was appropriated for this purpose in the session of the 
winter of 1904-5. During the corresponding session of the Massa- 
chusetts State Legislature, State appropriations began once more. In 
1904 it was apparent to everyone that the old areas had become 
reinfested and that the insect had spread widely. Private estates 
and woodlands in June and July of that year were almost completely 
defoliated. Kirkhind wrote: 
From Belmont to Saugus and Lynn a continuous chain of woodland colonies pre- 
sented a sight at once disgusting and pitiful. The hungry caterpillars of both species 
of moths swarmed everywhere; they dropped on persons, carriages, cars, and auto- 
mobiles, and were thus widely scattered. They invaded houses, swarmed into living 
95G77 — Bull. Ul— 11 1 
