The new North-west., 1885-10-16
THE MUSQUITO.
THE EARLY HISTORY OF MANS
FLEET-WINGeD ToRMENToR
Tn First Appearance Made In the water
How 1t Sheds Its Primitive
Shell and Starts on It's Blood
Sucking Career.
baltimore Herald


very wonderful creature, and the history Of
t. brief life reads like fairy tale. 1t has
he adroitness OF fox, the malice Of an old
maid, the courage of a bulldog the appetite
VI buzzard-is absolutely tireless on the
wing-has a high opinion OF its musical
salents, scents iti prey like q bloodhound,
lights with the de speration Of a Turk Ii az
ar lighted as a Yankee skipper. has tho
digestion Of an ostrich, aud has more wives
han Solomon and more children than
Brigham Young.
1t belongs to the gnat family, and Il
Known in certain learned circles as this
tcuieI pipieus"-two Latin words ex-
pressing great deal of meaning.
Strictly speaking, it does not begin life
Is a musquito, but as q larva. 1t Is born
n the water. and during its infancy is about
rs ambiguous an object as o dude
IN bathing suit, and Is as little like its
after self as the weather prophesisd from
the signal Cffice. The most favorite breed
ing place for the parent mosquitoes Is some
secluded pool in the marsh, or In soma
honest farmers rain barrel Tho breeding
In these latitudss Is carried on from early in
May until winter actually sets In, and 1t
Ia not unusual to find the larva In the
water as late as the middle Of October. It's
body looks like half dozen miniature kegs
Joined end to end and tapering to the tall
and from the sides sprout tiny bristles. A
hollow pipe extends out from the tail, aud
there Is also another smaller tube.
The supply Of vital organs In singularly
scanty Whenever the musquito that-is-to-
be desires to embelish its interior with vict-
uals. 1t swishes the water with its bristles
Or tufts, thus creating gentle current that
carries along with 1t microscopic insects
and particles Of vegetable and earthly mat
ter. Then the sagacious creature turns over,
head downward, and proceeds to feed itself
through its tail 1t breaths In the same
manner through its long pips attached to
the tail, which it lifts above the surface Of
the water whenever 1t wants air. In this
some what unsatisfactory state Of existence,
the larva spends the first three weeks Of its
life. changing its skin three times during
that period.
Finally throwing of its covering for the
fourth time. IL ceases to be larva and be-
comes Q pupa- 1t has now jumped, hyper
bolicslly speaking, from the frying pan into
the fire. and Is even worse Off than IL was
before. It's body is now stretched, rounded
and bent, and when 1t is In reposs- buried
in thought-contsmplatin the gildsd fu-
ture-its long, lean tail is bent around until
the end Of 1t rests against the underneath
part Of the head, so that it has somewhat
the appearance Of an animated loop. It
propels itself along through the water
by alternately bending and straight
ening its body. The pupa Is ntsr-
ally an animal without q stomach. It
has no digestive organs, and, therefore, can
not eat 1t no doubt however, does q ire
mendous amount of thinking, as 1t is nearly
always in motion, sculling around at Q lively
rate and hobnobbing with the other pupa In
the vicinity. Il breathes through its ears,
which are long, like those Of q mule, and
shaped like a milk-trumpet at the outer
ends. II has lost the two tubes that prsvi-
ously formed a doubtful adornment TO its
tail, which latter Is now shaped somewhat
like a kite. After remaining in this state
for varying periods 1t gets ready to e. srgs.
When about to perform this highly cred
liable tablsau, 1t lies on the surface Of the
water, Strengthening the hind part Of the
body. and extending itself along the surface
above which its wrdpipe Is raised There
Is sudden cracking Of the skin. and 1t splits
between the ears. This Is the crisis of its
existencs. II it were to suffer its head and
that portion Of its body which Is above the
surface to fall back into the water 1t would
be drowned. No one appreciates this dis
agreeable contingency more vividly than
the musquito itself. It raises itself with
the greatest caution, like an acrobat bal
ancing himself on his head, while he
divssts himself Of his trousers, and whom 1t
has got It, head and thorax entirely free by
q series Of gentle wiggles and contractions,
1t pulls out its body and wings Then. with
marvellous dsxtsrity, IL sits on its tail and
expands It's wings and skins along to the
friendly shore or to the leaf Of q water-lily,
he wind filling the fairy sails and the
trusty tail serving the dual capacity Of
1 cushion and ruddsr. Or, IL the Lilipu-
tian msriner is hungry or In hurry, he
does not wait to reach q dry spot, but boldly
plants his feet on the surface Of the water,
spreads his wings and flies away,
Its after career Is q matter Of too much
unpleasant notoristy to be .ong dwelt upon
Gentlemen OF wisdom who have carefully
observed 1t through a microscope describe
1t as aving q long. thin trunk and sucker
provided with six bristlsk It's wings are
crossed in repose. The latter are covered
finely straited longitudinaliy, The eyes are
large and expressive, and there are not
nearly SO many OF them ~ some people
imagine. The cass or sting is cylindrical
and Is covered with scales ard tsrmi-
mates in small, suspicious-looking knob.
1t IL split from end to end so that IL will
fly open In the twinkling Of an eye, and IL
contains blood-curdling case Of murdsrous
instruments. The sting insslf Is composed
Of six parts, and the poison II a. clear as
water, and sometimes exudes from the
trunk. . .." a
Ths lancets used BY the musquito in bor-
ing into the skin Of his victim are three In
number. and they would bring tears Of Joy
into the eyes Of . surgeon. One Of them is
long and curved like q Damascus blade, and
is jagged at the end like saw; another
has spear-head, and the third ends In O
very sharp point sharper than that Of tbs
most delicate cambria needle. Thus
equipped, 1t u no wonder that the musquito
is q source Of terror to the nsighborhood In
which ha livaa