Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1883-07-13
4 Biography of the Mosquito.
From the New YORK Agricul,uris..


II the mosquito were very rare insect,
found My in some far off county, We
should look upon i, as one OF the most cur
ious of living creatures, and read its history
with wondcr-that an animal could live two
such very different lives, one in the water
and the other in the air. We speak of the
mosquito as il there were hut one, while
really there are over 30 different kinds, all,
however, having similar habits, so that II
description Of one answers for all. The
female mosquito lays her eggs on the water
She forms little boat. yluing the eggs
together side by side, until she has
from $50 to $50 thus fastened together
The boat or raft is oval in shape
highest at the ends, and floats away meriily
for few days. The eggs then hatch and
the young musquito enters the water, where
the carly part OF his life is TO be passed. You
can flud the young insects in this their larval
stage, in pools of fresh water. or even in II
tub Of rain water which has been standing
uncovered for few days: They are called
wrigglers, on account OF the droil way in
which they jerk about through the wa-
ter. They feed upon very minute creatures,
and also upon decaying vegetable matter.
Near the tail the wrigaler has tube through
which it breathes. II you approach the
pool or tub very quietly, you can sec
them in great numbers, heads downward, with
their breathing tube above the surface. II
you make the least disturbance, they will
scamper down into deep water. After wrig-
Cling about for two weeks, and changing their
skins several times, the larva becomes u pu-
pa. You know that most insects in the pu-
pa state do not move, but take sleep of a
greater or less length. Not so the lively lit.
tic mosquito. In its pupa state it becomes 4
big-headed creature which does not cat. 1t
moves about quite rapidly, but not with
the same wrigging motion it now
and takes in air through tubes neal
the head. In five or ten days the mos
quito ends its life in the water, and becomes
IA winged insect. The pupa comes to tht
surface. and the skin cracks open on thu
back, allowing first its head and chest L
come FORTH and finally the legs, wings, ant
the rest. This is most trying moment il
the life of the insect II n slight puff o
wind should upset it before the wings ar
dry, it will surely drown; only small
proportion of the whJle number succeed il
safely leaving the pupa case, the create
share become food for the fishes. !
the wings once get fairly dry, thel
that insect can sail away, humming its TIN.
obue Va btuuuCsS lloW uoCs ~ blue CT
haps when you heard its note at night yol
did not stop to consider. 1t is point whicl
has puzzled many naturalists, and 1t is no
certainly known how the note is produced
but probably the rapid motion OF the wing
and the vibration of the muscles Of the ches
are both concerned in ii. The most interest
ing part about the insect-thc cuisines
: part" as some one has called it's its sting
or sucker. This is not simple, sharp
pointed tube, but consists Of six parts, whc
lay together IN sheath, and are used as one
How sharp those must be to go through on
| skin so easily! After the puncture is made
4 1t then acts as a sucker to draw up the blood
The insect which visits us is a female. w
rarely sec the male musquito. Blood is nc
! necessary to the existence OF the mosquito
and probably but small share OF them eve
taste it. The countries in which mosquitoes
live in greatest numbers-actual clouds-ar
not inhabited, and there are but few animal'