Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1868-08-26
THE MUsQUITO.
Origin ana PropensIties of tI,e'' Var
mint"

THE MOSQUITO. ef.
Origin and PrOpensifies of tIie'' Var
mint"
Is he Scion OTthc Aquatic WaggIetatI?
1t ought long ago TO have been settled
that the musquito, that wicked, buzzing,
biting, little torment that has so often
brought the beat Of us to the scratch, and
defied profanity to do it justice, is really
the wiggler .lor waggletail) Of the rain
water barrel, the cistern, the puddle, and
the marsh We say this ought TO be well
understood, for il man is ever to be rid of
this last relic Of the Egyptian plaques, he
must nip the evil in the bud. He must
declare war on the wiggler, the heretofore
nnmolested instrument of all cur miseries
in the biting and scratching line. The
wiggler must be exterminated or there can
he no peace. Ifworst comes to worst, the
very puddle in which he 30 defantly flaps
his forked tail must be turned to blood,
and the dOlorous marsh frog must sing HE
requiem.
There was a &c, tleman in the ci-y a day
or two since who came from a part of the
country where wigglers most do congregate
where the marshes and stagnant water
fairly "move" with them, aud vet this gem
tleman alleged that such thing as a mus.
quito had never been seen in lis section;
that he had never seen a musquitO until
he had seen the Ohio river. He denied
the reputed origin Of the mosquito in toto.
To convince him, gentleman connected
with the Courier Office tried an experiment
Procuring small vial half Glled with
water, he placed therein three or four Of
the common wigglers that may be seen in
soft water almost anywhere. Carefully
sealing the vial he let il stand for night.
In the morning a clean, full-developed mus
quito was flying about in the space abb e
the water while n sc8,y shell or skin like
what amight be that Of an almost incon-
ceivably small snake lay upon the surface.
One Of the wigglers had surely shulfed off
his coil, for there had been no mosquito
there the night previous.
Naturalists say that mosquitoes are a de-
cidedly mixed set, 80 far as lineage goes,
and few or none have attempted to pedigree
them, getting over that point as hastily as
possible, and befogging the reader with
learned illusions TO the proboscis, the palpi,
and other appendages. They say the Larvae
of musquitoes are the well-known wigglers.
They the wigglers, not the naturalists,)
are the offspring of a deposit Of eggs, and
remain, az il were, suspended from the sur
face OF the water, head downward, breath
ing air by means of a respiratory tube,
which goes off at an angle from near the
end Of the body, communicating with
the trachi; the tube and the terminal
Joint are Froyided with radiating hairs;
the head u round, distinct, with autenne
and ciliated organs, which keep up con-
slant current of water toward the mouth,
and bring within their reach the minnie
animacule upon which they feed; their
thorax and ten-jointed abdomen are fur
nished with lateral pencils of hair. II
disturbed these larvR quickly wriggle to
the bottom, but soon come again 10 the sur
face and suspend themselves by the respira-
tory tube. Some species are comparative
ly free from hairs in this condition. After
remaining in the Larvae state from five to
fifteen days, according to the weather, and
changing their skin two or three times,
they are changed into pupe, called tum-
blers, from the manner in which they roll
over and over in the water by means of fin
like paddles at the end of the tail; they
are very quick in their motions and swim
with the head upward the respiratory
openings are al the end Of two tubes stu
ated lust behind the head, so that the little
tumblers remain near the surface, head up
ward, 10 take in sir. In. this state, which
lasts five or ten days, according 10 circum-
stances, the insect takes no food. When
the perfect insect is ready TO come forth,
the pup8 skin bunts open on the
back. and the head of the mus
quito makes its appearance, fol-
| lowed soon by the thorax. After il has
succeeded In raising its body, except the
tail, and stands erect, like mast, in the
pupa shell-boats, it extricates the front
| pair Of logs, and places them for support on
| the surface Of the water. The heavy and
wet wings are now unfolded, that the sun
and air may dry them this effected, the
| danger ia over, and the other legs are
| drawn forth and extended on the edge OF
the pupa case, the body is stretched o3t,
the antenn1 aud probOscis elevated; by
this time the wings are dry and fully eX-
| panded, and the insect flies of to reyel
among the flowers or in search OF blood,
according TO the sex, for only the females
are blood-thisty many males probably dc
not eat at all.
The sucker in all its essential parts Ia.
been well described by Reaumur. The
flexible sheath gives support 10 the lauoets
white they penetrate the skin the point o.
the combined lancets is sharper than Che
finest needle, so that the size Of each oi
the several weapons must be very small
the wounds made by this instrument woulC
be very Insignificant were IL not for an ir'
ritsble secretion from the proboscis, which
in some delicate skins produces obstinate
itching, considerable redness and swelling
aud in rare instances even irritable ulcers
The source Of the buzzing noise, which
10 many il more annoying than the bite
has been ascribed 10 the mouth by Mouhel
10 the friction of the base Of the winglets
the poisers, the motion Of the wings, th'
| raDid passage Of the afr through tn
tboracic s,ieuisfa, and the vibrations Of th'
thorax from tho contraction Of the muscle
of the wings, have been supposed 70 be th'
cause by other entonlologisis. by what
ever organ Is be produced, Slebold says .
il alwavs due to the action OF yoluntar
. muscles, and has no connection Wta %
/ respiratory system.
Up 70 the 6rsl Of August very lew mn.
quitoes had made their appearance 10 TN
, Stale the present year. Their VISIT rs
been later than Tor a number Of years an
, il is hoped il may prove much shorter ic
the the balance Of the warm weathe
, -L0uisrilie COaTia.