American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1873-11-08
About Mosquitoes.

About Mosquitoes.
THE largest kind of mosquito found
about the Mississippi River is called the
"Gallinipper." The boatmen say that it
| is as large as goose, and that it carries a
| brickbat under its wing, on which to
| sharpen its bill.
Cattle are not troubled by mosquitoes,
but horses suffer terribly. The lumber
men drive them away from their camps
by making low fires of chips and damp
grass. In the GOODNESS of the evening
the smoke from these ''smudge" fires hangs
heavily over the ground, and affords con-
siderable protection, which even animals
seek.
On a still night such a camp is very pic
| turesque. The log hut by the river: the
| tall, somber pines, towering above dense
masses of naples, and ragged outlines of
oaks; the struggling fires, that thrust out
tongues of fitful flame, and reek with
| thick smoke, which spreads upon the
ground, or lazily rolls over the roof; the
| long, level lines of blue haze which the
smoke finally draws against the foliage:
the solemn stiffness resting over all,
broken only by the boot of the owl, the
wall of the whip -poor-will, or the tinkle
of the rippling stream, while the bright
eyed, climbing stars replace the waning
twilight-compose scene too lovely to
/ DC Spolcu ny ullllOHS Ol Ol
swarming, bowling, raving, hungry mos
quitoes.
| The mosquito is an insect of the water.
Early on summer morning, even before
sunrise, the mother may be found laying
her eggs. They must be placed where
there is warmth enough to hatch them,
and where the young creatures which
pop out may &C, at once into the water;
So the careful insect, like the mother of
Moses, puts her children into a little ark,
which she leaves ON the surface of the
pool. The ark she makes of the eggs
| themselves. She rests on bit of grass,
or a leaf, at the top of the water, holding
to it by the first and second pair of legs.
The third pair she crosses behind her like
the letter Y. The first egg is caught and
held between the legs. Then another and
another are fastened to the first by the
gum which covers them, until fifteen or
twenty have been set up side by side, as
one might set up number of ears of
corn, or like the seeds in the head of a
sunf1ower.
| When the mass becomes too heavy for
her support, she lowers it upon the
water, but still holds it by putting her
| feet on either side, until two hundred and
fifty or three hundred eggs have been laid.
Those at the sides are higher than those
in the middle, while those at the ends are
raised somewhat more. Thus the whole
mass is shaped much like a canoe. These
tiny black boats, about as large as grains
of wheat, may be found floating upon the
top of any tub, or barrel of water, which
has stood for some days. Nothing can
harm them, if some other creature does
them against the shore, but they are too
light to break; torrent of water may be
poured upon them, and they come out OF
the bubbling foam as buoyant as air, and
as dry as duck; the water may freeze
solid, but their life is not destroyed.
In a few days-three are usually
enough, if warm-the eggs hatch, and
each sends a wriggler down into the
water, through a hole in the bottom
The little fellow swims about, and pres
, emily hangs himself by his tail to the sur
face. If disturbed, he goes down out OF
, way, but soon comes back, and rests, as
, before, with the tip of his tail out OF
, water. He does this, just as other swim
mers do, because he would keep his nose
above water. The odd thing about it is,
, that his nose, or, at least, the tube which
he breathes through, is not on his face
but at the tip of his tail. 1t ends in q
| few hairs, which spread in a star-form
and are oiled, to repel water. Thus the
: tail is both nose to breathe through, and
) buoy to keep itself at the top of the water
He lives upon the Impurities of the water
, and SO serves very useful purpose
in the world.
By and by, he changes into pupa, ant
! then he turns himself over, end for end
He did breathe through his tail; now h
l breathes through his ears, or pair o
tubes which look like ears, and are thrus
: up, just little, out of the water. Hi
tail is now like the tail of fish, and by
it he can move himself through the waite
as he pleases. He remains thus abou
ffaa I.,,, = F. L..
: exchanging his home in the water for
life in the air.
When the warm sun shines on tn
> water, the change comes. The pupa rise
to the surface, and thrusts out its hea,
!, and shoulders. The cover bursts, and tn
u plumed head appears, followed by tn
? shoulders and the filmy wings. Now
o the time of danger. If an unlucky puff Q
d air sweep the water, over goes our sailor
y his wings are wet, and his voyage los
;. just as he is ready to come into port. Iii
: cid garment lies upon the water. 1t is hi
! iife-b His body is the mast, and III
. drying wings are the sails. Now hi
a slender legs are dry, and with them h
It feels for the surface of the pool. He lift
It himself free from his castOff coat, rest
II an instant on the water and then lean
: into the air, a singing, singing mosquito
!. But all the mosquitoes do not sting
y, y the males wear a pair of plumes upo
:. their heads, and spend their days in
"a ceaseless dance in the sunbeams. Thos
e. that bite are the females. One gent
Al drops on your neck or hand, with a foo
lr step so light that you feel it not; sh
q looks about for moment, hesitating a
: to where she will begin to bore. No,
. she has found the place, and her needl
a tongue goes down into the skin. No,
a you feel the prick, and now you may Sc
e her cheek heave as she pumps up the re
l. fluid. No speculator, boring for oil, eve
s felt happier over flowing well, than on
l. borer over the flowing fountain which sh
IS has tapped. Now her abdomen expands
e more and more, until il seems she wi
burst. At last she has had enough-to
o much, in fact, for her greed will cost he
! life. She draws up the rod, and heavii
ii flies away. Her light wings can scarccl
le bear the increased burden. She will di
&c of surfeit.-Cecips Book IF Insects.
If Asking for Money.