Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1867-09-27
saisfellAnepna.
MUSKETOES-W THEY ARE
AND HOW THEY LIVE,

1t is unscientifc to say that musketoes
bite, for they have no teeth and they have
no need of teeth TO seize upon or prepare
their food, for they are dainty, and take
food only in the liquid form-spoon vituals.
They are chivalric race, and attack their
enemies with sort Of sword or lance no
doubt they consider biting and gouging quite
vulgar. The lance Of the musketo is very
beautiful and perfect piece Of work it is
smoother than FURNISHED steel, and its point
is so fine and perfect that the most power
full microscope does not discover a flaw in it.
As the most delicate cambric needle is to a
crowbar, so is the musketoe's lance to the
best Damascus blade. The lance is worn in
a scabbard or sheath, which in every res
pect Is worthy of it; it is often ornamented
with plumes. Man carries his sword at his
side, and the musketO on his head. The
latter arrangement has manifest and won
deTlul advantages weapon is always 7l
gdrll6, and does not impede l0comotiou by
getting entancied with the legs.
The lance and its sheath being on the
head and being somewhat flexible, IS often
called proboscis. This view of the case is
strengthened by the fact that the scabbard
is q suction pipe through which the musketC
drinks its food As Moses struck the rock
with his staff, SO the musketO with q thrust
of his lance pieTces the fountain, and the
nectar, gushing into the scabbard, finds its
way 20 the more sensitive and vital parts.
The musketo might be classed among our
domestic anImales may we not say among
the household pets? They are the almost
constant companions of man In town and
country, during the holiday season Of the
summer. No home without the musketo.
What attectionl How they stick to Us, clo-
ser than brothers. They often come a great
way-hundre5s Of miles-to be with Us,
Most Of those which greet US in this city
have left their distant homes in Jersey and
have made the perilous journey across q
wide river. They also love their own society
and travel IN companies which sometimes
comprise millions Of indIYiduals-in swarm:
which obscure the sun. But the common
place detractors say that musketoes arc
bred in unTholesome sWamps, and that it Is
only the wind which bears them, as IT does
feathers and malaria, wherever it Hsteth.
Let US inquire about the earliest begin
ming of the musketo let US take him In the
egg. The mother musketo has notions OF
naval architecture, and out Of the eggs she
lays she constructs a wellmodeled boat,
with elevated prov and stern and well pro-
portioned midship. For the boat she .em-
ploys 250 to $50 eggs, building it up piece
meal, somewhat after the manner Of men,
binding together the individual eggs By
means of a powerful waterproof cement,
into a substantial and complete structure.
Unfortunately we are unable to give a recipe
for the water proof cement; there are many
who would ike to have it. The boat Is
built on the water, and when completed she
is confidently abandoned to the mercy of the
wind and the wave Thanks to that water
proof cement, she can neither be broken,
wetted, or sunk; she is safer than if she
we're copper bottomed. The little craft, il
must be remembered is freighted with life
each of its $50 or $50 little state rooms
has its tenant After a few days cruising
the occupants Of the shells come forth, and
the ship is destroyed. But those little
creatures are surely not musketoesl They
appear more like fish or serpents, or little
dragons. On closer examination they prove
to be what every one knows under the name
of "wigglers;" they are the larvae of the
musketo. They wiggle about in the we'll
known way for a week or two, and after
changing their skins two or three times, they
assume quite a new form and movement.
They are now what the boys call ''tumblers,
and are the pup0 of the musketo. In
about a week, if the weather, etc, be
favorable, something of the form of the
musketo may be seen through the transpa-
rent skin Of the tumbler. Shortly the
prisoner escapes from his confinement as a
full fedged and bold musketo, and scars
away in search of food and pleasure. -
Scteptifc 1nlerjCdB