The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1874-09-27
THE MOSQUITO.
HOW THE DIMISUTIyE FIEND LIVES AND PROPA-
GATES ITS SPECIES FOR FUTURE TORMENT.

The female gnat or mesquite deposits hel
eggs on the surface Of stagiant water We
copy a description of this last act of her lif;
| from Woods Insects at Home
Placing her front legs on piece of floating
stick, straw, or anything that will support hel
tiny weight, She allows the mid lie pair Of
legs to rest on the surface of the water and
crosses the hind pair SO Us to look like the
capital letter Y. Another egg is quickly
placed by the side Of the frs, and followed
by others, all of which are glued together by
a cement which is not affected by water.
Guided by the crossed legs, the eggs are
forced into boat-like shape, and are then
left to float on the surface of the water.
These little egg-boats are quite plentiful in
the summer time, and any number can be
taken for the purpose of experimenting,
Their shape very much resembles that of the
life-boat now in use, and like the lite-boat, the
egg-boat cannot be sunk, ard if capsized,
rights itself Immediately. Even if the con
tents OF a vessel be poured from height into
the pond the little boats float at once to the
surface like SO many corks, and each as it
rises assumes its proper position.
When the larva is ready to leave the egg, it
pushes off the lower end, which opens like a
little round ap-door, and lets The larva pop
ularly called .'wiggler out into the water
|
able. t has long body, large head, and a
forked tail, and jumps and jerks through the
water with swift zigzag motion. When it
needs to breathe, it comes to the surface and
hangs head downward, for its respiratory Or
gans terminate in a pipe attached to the last
segment Of the body, and, thrusting this
| above the water, the air is inhaled through it.
The larva feeds upon microscopic insects
and particles OF vegetation and earthly mat
ter, and this is of great service in purifying
standing water which would otherwise breed
malaria diseases So the mosquito is not
without its use in the world. Linnaus long
ago showed that if two barrels of stagnant
and impure water be placed side by side, and
one be covered with gauze and the left ex-
posed, the second will soon be full Of wig
glers and emit no unsavory odors, while the
first secured from the approach of mosquitoes,
will shortly become rank and smell to heaven
The wriggler changes its skin three times
in the course OF fortnight or three weeks
1t then enters the pupa state, and is trans
formed in both shape and condition. Its
body is ortened, rounded, and bent nearly
double. In this state it eats nothing, and
remains chiefly in repose 1t is able to swim,
however, by alternately bending and straight
ening its body The respiratory openings of
the air-tubes are now in the thorax; conse-
quently it rests with the head upward at the
surface of the water. The skin is, at this
stage, so thin that the various members of the
insect can be seen through it, as they lie
closely folded together. When the moment
comes for the perfect image to emerge the
pupa straightens out on the surface of the
water, the case splits along the back, and the
insect swiftly and speedily draws itself out.
1t stands for an instant on the now empty
shell, in order to shake out its crumpled
wings and allow the veins to fill and swell:
then it mounts aloft, to the shrill tune it
always sings in its flight, and is ready to suck
the blood of t ne first victim it encounters.
The male gnat which may be distinguished
by its feathered antenna is inoffensive The
female alone is armed with lancet, and, be-
fore she stabs, sings about our ears until we
are frantic. Her murderous instrument is
composed Of six fine sharp bristles, inclosed in
a cylindrical tube, clothed with minute feath-
er-like scales, and terminating in kind of
knob. The sting of her wound is caused by
a poisonous fluid which is injected through
the proboscis. Gnats multiply with great
rapidity and several gene cations are produced
in a single summer. They are attracted by
light, and yet can buz and stab without any
inconvenience in the dark