The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1885-09-29
THE MUSQUfTo.
THE EARLY HISTORY OF MAfl'G
FIEET-WINGEO TORMENTOR
its First appearance Made in the Water
How Il Sheds It's Primitive
Shell and Starts on It's Hood
Suck ing Career.
baltimore EeraId.I


very wonderful creature, and the history of
1t brief lif' reads like "a fairy tale It has
tao ;.tiroitnef, OF fox, the malice of an old
mail, the courage of "A bulldog the appetite
of a buzzarl-Is absolutely tiree,i on The
wing-has a high opinion Of it's musical
talents, cents At; prey like Il hIooiHouni
fight with Tie desperation Of n Turk: is rs
far -ilthts'-i ms YanEcs kipuer, has the
digestion OF an ostrich, and has more wiye,
than Solomon and NOR. children than
Brigham Young.
1t heionS' To the Gnat family. ami is
known in certain learned circi., as the
"culex pipisu,'-two Lalin wh,ris ex-
pressing great deal If meaning
Strictly speaking, it zoos noa begin Iifo
as m;iSqnito, but IL larva. 1t is born
In the waller, and during it, infancy is about
as ambiguous an object as n dude
in a bathing suit, and Is as little like its
alter self as the weather proph,,s ieI from
the signal Office. Tho most favorite t,i,esd-
ing place for the paralt mosquitoes il some
secluded pool in the marsh! or in soma
honest farmers raia barrel. The breeding
In these ATTITUDES Is carried on from early in
May until winter actually sets in and it
Is not unusual TO find tho Iarva in tho
water as iate as the mldilo OF October Its
body looks like half dozen miniature lsac,
1oineI end to ond and taperins to tho TAIL
and from the Sides sprout tiny brstIe,
there Is also another smaller tube.
Tho supply of vital organs is singularly
scanty. W heneVer tine musqnitO that-is-to-
De desires t. etibeiI'il ITS interior with Wet
ualj, it swishcs the water with its Iristlei
or tufts, thus creating a 2ontl, current tilat
carries along with il microscopic in Gets
and PARTICLES of vegetable ami oarLi4. mat
ter Then The sasacinu' creatur.4 ttrn over
head downward, AMI procoo,lS to feaI ITSELF
through its tail IT, ;rrntiis j.; The anna
manner through It's long pipe attached t,
the tail. which 1t J rs Ih We thu ,ur!aco If
sie water whenever II wants air In this
come what uns:tti factory state Of existence
lho larHa Spen Is the first three weeks of it's
life, changing IL, ~hIn titr,. tame. ,lurino
that perioi.
Finally throwing 1T its covering for the
fourth time. it ceases Ia h.. a llFvt and no.
comes n Impa- IL l,;.~ nov, iuu....l ilyper-
boicaIiy speaking. t. II, IT, 49,, an into
tho fire, AMI is even va. -.. .,! J.. was |
before It's body iI"s 9.:-'.,. 81. ,-s,iIi,,lel
ana Dent, amt wh'r y i,- hriei |
IL; Thought -c.,nt'uI j.. go ru- |
turo-it n,c, I,a8 I,.i. ~. .,,tiI |
tho en'i OF 1t rests n-...tt ..- a.. ,...th !
part OF the heai. ;" ;:.i mat |
the appearance oi - - IL /
pf'f@tS lINeil aioti, --i., ,lar |
by alternately ieniin ut
snlH% i6' h "iN- IN. b., TOR
has no digestive orl.ail auI, Il. IAN
not eat. 1t no doubt, t",>ov.; t.,-
mehloti amount ri a.rsn,h5. ,.sriy
always III motion. scnilni:Hr /; 4,ty
rate AM Eohii"bs'ihI VT. t.,N ..t:,,t II. IA
tho vicinity. IL tfrathc' iurnG =, t,-ni.,,
winch ARE long, like tho " al !. ut.i:.. and
shaped like milk trumpet a. 81, .,ttar
ends 1t has lost the two cubes Lttat pro vi
"u,iy i'rhe d"nbti"i 'iioraIn"nt /, It's
tail, which latter how :lInp,sl ~,lu...lat
iiko a KITE. After remaining in this ,tat,
Tor varying period ii i5sts ready t., eTiteT.,
When about tn perform TIL, hi.rf.fy prs /
liable tnLfsau, il iiei on the onYfn.., Of tn.
water, Strengthening tho hind part OF thu
body, and extending it eff ATOM tha su,rac.
above which its winIpIpe is raiSeI Th,t,
l. "a sudden cracking of tUe skin and it,nIit,
between the oars. This IS tho &rfsi, Of it.,
existence. II it were Ia suffer its heal and
That portion OF its body which Is ntove Tbs
surface t. fall back into tho water il wnuII
DO drowned No ono appreciates this ,i,
agreeable contingency more yiyiIl,. than
he musquito itself. 1t raises itself With
lho fsre"taAt caution, like an acrobat bal
llcihS hili,Soif on his head, while h.
Invests himself of his trousers and whom II
las got it, head and thorax entirely froa Nv
series of gentle wigglas and cartroctinns
t pulls out its body AMI wings. Then. with
'htrVeIoilS deXterIty, it sits on its tail and ,
'xrnnds its wings, AMI skins along to Tin,
ri"ndiy shore or +" the leaf Of n water-iIy,
ne wind filling tho fairy sails and the ;
tnSty tai serving the dual capacity of
cushion and 81 rulier Or, il the Tiiinu- .
Ian riner Is hungry on in n hurry. no
Ioes not wait to reach a dry spot but boldly
''ants his feet on the surface Of the water,
Its after career i n matter. Of too ,,,,of, 4
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