The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1874-10-22
THE MOSQUITO.
How tine DiminUtive Fiend Lives and
FrOpagates HIS Snecies.

How the Diminutive Fiend Lives ana
Propagate HIS Species.
The name mosquito is indiscriminate-
~ applied, in this and some other
countries, TO various species of Cuiex or
gnat. The term should be restricted to
the Culex mosquito !; but the ordinary
observer will not, of course, pause to
make hne distinctions, and every spe-
cles OF gnat, troublesome or otherwise,
tnat comes under the popular eve, is
carelessIy called a mosquito. The fe-
male gnat or mosquito deposits her
eggs on the surface of stagnant water.
We copy description of this last act
OF her life from Woods "Insects at
Home :"
Placing her front legs on q piece OF
floating stick, straw, or anything that
viii support her Tiny weight, she allows
the middle pair of her legs to rest on
the surface of the water, and crosses the
hind pair so as to look like the capital
letter y. Size then deposits q rather
long and spindle-shaped egg, and places
1t upright, with the base downward in
the angle of the Y. Another egg is
quickly placed by the side of the first,
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 a
bost-like shape, and are then left TO
float on the surface of the water.
These little egg boats are quite plen-
tlful IN the summertime, and any num-
Der can be taken for the purpose Of ex.
perimenting. Their shape very much
resembles that of the life-bOat now in
use, and, like the life-boat, the egg boat
cannot be sunk, and if capsized rights
itself Immediately. Even if the CON
tents of the vessel be poured from a
height into the pond the little boats
float at once to the surface like so many
eorks, 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 ike a little round p-door, and
tets the larva-popularly called "wrig-
gler"-out into the water. This wig
Rler is the oldest little fish imaginable.
1t has long body, large head, and
forked tail, and jumps and jerks through
the water with q swift ziz-Zag molten.
When it needs to breathe, it comes to
the surface and hangs head downward,
for its respiratory organs terminate in
pipe attached to the last segment of the
body, and, thrusting this above the
water, the air is inhaled through it.
Thelarva feeds upon microscopic insects
and particles of vegetation and earthly
matter, and this is of great service in
purifying standing water, which would
otherwise breed malarial diseases. So
the mosquito is not without its use in
the world. LinnBus long ago showed
that if two barrels of stagnant water be
placed side by side, and one be covered
with gauze and the other left exposed,
the second will soon be full of wrigglers
and emit no unsavoTy OdOrs, while the
first, secured from the approach of mos
quitoes, will shortly become rank and
smell to heaven"
The wriggler changes its skin three
times in the course of a fortnight or
three weeks. Il then enters the pupa
state, and is transformed in both shape
and condition. It's body is shortened,
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
STRENGTHENING its body. The respiratory
openings of the air-tuces are now in the
thorax; consequently it rests with the
head upward at the surface of the water.
rhe skin is, at this stage, so thin that
be seen through it, as they lie loosely
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 aud speed
ilY draws itself out. It stands for an
instant on the now empty she'll, In order
to shake out its crumpled wings and
allow the veins to fill and swell then it
mounts aloft, to the shriIl tune it al
ways sings in it's fight, and is ready to
suck the blood of the first victim IL en-
counters.
The male gnat, which may be distin-
guished by its feathered antennB, is IN
offensive. The female alone is armed
with a lancet, and, before she stabs,
sings about our ears until we Me fran
tic. Her murderOus instrument is com
posed of six fine, sharp bristles, inrlosed
in cylindrical tube, clothed with min
ute feather-like scale, and terminating
in a kind of knob. The sting of her
wound is caused by poisonous fluid
which is injecte d through the prObOscis.
Gnats multiply with great rapidlty, and
several generations are produced in a
single summer. They are attracted by
a light, and yet can buzz and stab with
out any inconvenience in the dark.
The sense of smell is ascribed TO them
by the eutomologist but it seems,
from ordinary observation, to be ex-
ceedingly blunt. A mosquito will hum,
and hum, and hum around one-well, =,
for hours, measuring time by the feel
| ings-a and, either from stupidity or
sheer malignity, light here, and light
the e, every where but on the flesh right
under its nose, and then go probing
| about with it's spear in perfectly i'm
/ beetle way that Is, beyond everything
! exasperating. No, the insect is dOlt
or a demon, else it would, guided by an
/ unerring instinct, dart straight 70 the
right spot and suck its fill, and be OF
about its business. Would 1t but do
so, its visit would be disarmed of its
| chief terrors. 1t Is their prolonged
| laundering may be intentional
! and a piece of pure dinbolism-by which
| they Keep their stiDging lance lowering
| over us, like the sword of Damocles,
/ every instant likely to drop and pierce
/ us, that makes them such Odious and
4 intolerable torments. Ore can bear the
| severest hurt that comes unexpected,
! with q certain degree of courage but
/ the long-drawu- out horrors of anticipa-
| tion unnerve us, until VIC writhe IN
| despair. There is scarcely in the range
of human experience a more forcible
illustration OF the impotence Of man
than that which single mosquito will
/ afford him when he lies In slumber.
! The pupy insect, that may be crushed
to a shapeless mass with the hghtest
| touch, whose organs are so minute as to
| be mainly invisible, bas in its power to
so harass and worry its gigantic enemy, q
| whole night through, as to craze him
/ nearly. What a bitter mockery to call
/ the son of Adam the lord of creation,
/ when he can be baf1sd and beaten In q
contest with q mosquito
A Modern PygmaliOn.