Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1875-04-01


connection between the sounds emitted
by the female and the co-vibrations Of
the antennal fibrilln of the male mos
quito; ard that the male can always
find his ccnsort by going in the direc-
tion Of the fbrilla, which is unmoved
by the sound of the females wing
If these conclusions are correct, the
mosquito has decided advantage over
us in his power of determining the di-
rection of sounds. 1t is supposed that
the semi-circular canals in our internal
ear are for this purpose, but at present
this remains O mere conjecture.
Taking the above observations il
connection with the conclusions reached
by Christopher Johnson, of Baltimore,
from his ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS of the mos
quito, it seems quite conclusively proven
that, as Las long been suspected, the
autennse, or the capsules at their base,
are the real hearing apparatus of the
mosquito. This view is strengthened
by tie fact that Holsters and crabs,
which are structually allied forms, have
distinct organs of hearing at the base of
their attenne. The hearing organs of
TIE male are more complete than those
of the female; and we should expect
this when we know that he is caught
with greater difficulty, and he probably
has to find the female in the twilight
or darkness, by hearing the buzzing of
her wings The male has also more
complex and special apparatus for pro-
ducing sound, and this We would ex-
pect to find in order to harmonize with
their relative hearing powers. Sounds
are produced by tie Tapping Of the
wings. or by theexpulsion of air through
the breathing holes of the chest, caus-
ing a vibration Of delicate valvc-ike
fold just within the opening. The nnm-
Der Of flaps which the mosquito makes
with her wings, in second, has been
counted by means Of an instrument
called siren, which determines the
number TO be about sixteen thousand.
1t is only the female mosquito that
tormcnts us with Eer bite and music.
The male is more timid, frequents damp
and foul places, as marches, sinks and
ccsspools, and seldom visits the abode
of men. He may lie distinguished by
the darker color, feathered antenna,
and more developed raipi. Doctors
disagree" as to whether he is physically
incaracitated to suck, but there is pro-
baby no very wide difference in the
physical structure Of the sexes in this
regard. About all that is known on
iLis pOint is the fact the female lives
on blood. and tho male on the juices of
flowers and leaves, and kindred food.
The beak or sticker is composed of six
brist!e-lIke organs, containinga double
barIed or saw-like piercer, which pene-
trates the flesh, and altogether form Il
hollow. air-tigbt tube, through which
the blood is sucked into the mosquitoes
mouth.
There is also disagreement among
chronological sayants as 10 whether the
female discharges any poisonous liquid
into the wound, which causes the pain
and swelling we experience. But no
gland TO secrete it has ever been found
and the uncomfortable effects which We
suffer are doubtless due to irritation,
caused by the barbed probe which she
thrusts so numerically into our flesh.
This seems sufficient to account for il
when we observe the effort she makes
to withdraw it. by braciEg herself back
and pulling with all her might, when
she wishes to remove her shaft and
strike ile' in another place