he tops of them, too. That's the work of
Brown Tails all right."

"The most interesting thing to me about these little codgers is the way
they got here," said Romper Ryan. "They came from Europe about 1897, so
this book says. Came over on some young trees imported here. There
couldn't have been more than a couple of cocoons, but look how they have
spread since that time. They were first seen in Somerville,
Massachusetts, but now they are all over the New England States. They
are only just getting into Vermont, though."

"This pamphlet says that the female moth flies a great distance," said
Jiminy Gordon, growing enthusiastic about the subject, "and that the
female Gipsy moth, which is another kind of pest, can't fly at all. By
jiminy, I thought all moths could fly, didn't you? It also says that the
female Brown Tail moth is attracted by strong lights and can be found
fluttering around arc lamps almost any warm--"

"Does it? Where? Where does it say they like strong light?" exclaimed
Nipper Knapp.

"Why, what the dickens struck you? It says so right here. Just listen:
'These moths are attracted to strong light such as electric arc lights,
as they fly at night it is often possible to secure many specimens around
arc lamps in cities and towns during the latter part of June and the
first half of July. The--'"

"Whoop! That solves it! I got it, fellows! It's as easy as rolling off
a log. We win the $100 prize sure!" exclaimed Nipper Knapp excitedly.
Then while the boys were looking at him in utter amazement he continued.

"Listen, fellows! I was running mother's electric vacuum cleaner this
morning before I started to school. I saw how easily the motor-driven
fan sucked in everything in sight. I held the nozzle near a fly on the
window pane and _zipp--p-p_, in went Mr. Fly. I thought right away that
a big vacuum cleaner would make a fine moth catcher if we could only get
near enough to the moths. And I even figured out a plan for a large one
which wouldn't cost very much and could be made mostly of wood. But I
knew it was foolish 'cause we couldn't get near the moths. Then--"

"Great! I see your plan. You are going to attract your moths by a light
and then catch 'em with the suction cleaner," exclaimed Bruce.

"Sure, and here's how I'm going to do it. I'm going to take one of the
automobile's searchlights and shine it off on to some trees and then put
the vacuum cleaner just under the ligh