New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-06-07

Az IMPORTANT SCIENTIFIC QUESTION:
A gentleman residing in this city writes The
Tribune the following letter, which opens ali
interesting scientific inquiry:
Sir: Ia a recent Issue Of your paper you print a
short editorial IN which you discuss, fear with hardly
that degree Of seriousness which tho subject d"hahd
mo pros poet for mosquitoes th, summer In tie course
Of Il you refer evidently simply In vein OF iaccilOus
na.t I'm pursuit Of summer bUardcr just alighed from
The :46 accommodation" think you printed beuer
number of Others boarded at pretty llttle suburban
town, which shall DC nhmciea-. Tho iithrt agent
that during the day there va, not mo'quii about
the station, yet sooner did W. alight rom The
10 train the one most ~ Il, usually went out on
than great swarm 81 large gray mo-lulpr,Tt' VIM,
apparently had tasted for several days, would conn
up from among The long ga,s or an sninhE n pr'
low land and begin mol rrlcniicS, ht'tS,N nPoh W.
following H. the whole distance 20 our boarding hon -
hcm crccing entrance into the house, me small
mes by surrepiiiUueY creeping through the KY h0lrH
and tho larger by boldly cInmbcHng down the chImneJ
Tho owner Of the house. extremely worthy lady =.
uss,rd that during the day, while W. Wcrc absent,
thrrr was never mosquito sern about the premises,
nor ia they trouble hcr at niiht, she ir-lurh,H
~ lrrssinr great AsOn'Shmrnt ~ the breakfast" able
tlsr We had been disturbed, and nclning 70 tho
theory that sccples snesS was rarcabc rather 10
he strength Of Tho coffee than 10 tho prc'"nce OF
mosquitoes. Rcpurabl" rsd-n's of the village al"
assur"d me thai they scarcely ever "a" mp'qn.'
eScrpt whom they compelled % VISIT The next
town. stu, all this time We were being larry
If 10 me + his: j the boArirr ihe natural
food of tho mosquito and docs instinct cause i 10
seek him Outi INNfAl ElS'
We ARE glad our correspondent has written us
on this subject, though II opens up = scientific
question which we shall not attempt 10 answer
conclusivey That thousands Of summer bonrlcrs
are annually the victims OF the mosquito everybody
knows That the summer boardcr receives much
more attention from the mosquito than the native
u the place whore he may he sojournlng is also
GEM rally admitted But that the mosquito actually
loitcrs in the vicinity of tho station whiting for the
hoardcr Is not so well authenticated, though we
certainly are not prepared 20 say that il does not.
Instinct frequently does much more for thu low"r
forms of animal M than might suppose IL
the summer hoardrr really WAS intended Tor the
mosauito us our correspondent suspects. II seems
hardly probnhle that nature should not have i'm
planted m II an instinct which should guide II 10
rs victim When the whistle OF the after
moor accommodation sounds it seems no
moro strange that the mosquito should
hurry from his retreat In the direction
~ the station than that he should Inter on
instantly faIl upon the boo.dcr in preference 10 the
resident hnck.driyrr Instinct does ms much as this
for thr mt md various other forms Of insect life"
Should our scientists decide after tn" inN"stlGa-
! ton which they viii doubtless give the matter
,, Tint their attention has been called u II, that
| the MOSQUITO lies In wait for the honrd"r ana Is
Guided 10 his prey bv sound, doubtless rhhhRes
! copld he made with advantage In the management
| ~ local trains We presume that noselcSs ballast
| could be inserted between the ties, thus DONG
| away with the roar Of the train. while pronaoT
the engineer could muflr the whistle with his coat
| or With blanlrt while the hell might he removed
| entirely. With these safeguards IN" train could
slip into town quietly and we hclirN" II the board
crs aIghted rapidly and notscl"ssly and swiftly
ran 10 their several places Of abode that the mos
quito might be completely thrown OF the trail ana
| tho bonrder escape unframed.
The subject is one which will bear investigation
and we trust that our correspondent will follow II
up. The nan who can circumvent the mosquito
will deserve much AZ the hands OF his fello"-meh