The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-08-16
|..ava written on the Best Means
OF His Complies Ex-
termination.
:. Noeouito Transmits Yellow Fever and
Other -Vfndicatton OF the
Snake Feeder.

Teton, says the New 1Ork llmeS'
Whether the idea of printing q volume
bout the mosquito was prompted by q
|rtuous desire to merely make his cussed- |
|,ss matter of record or whether it found
/ nth in an unrighteous spirit Of revenge
tier an especially severe and lonR-con-
|nued attack by the insects cannot be
|ated. Anyway, in the early summer of
|s9 DR.. Robert II. Lamborn issued q
|rcular to the working entomologists of
|says desc ribine original Investigations
Ito the methods of destroying the |
Eosquito and the house fly. The forthcom-
liz book contains the essays of those to
Ihom the prizes were awarded. The hrst |
'rize was given to Mrs. G. B. Aaron and
lie second was divided between Mr.. Archl- |
|ald g. Weeks and Mr.. William Benton
uller.
The work may really be called sympo-
um on the subject Of mosquitoes. in which
II. Bentenmuller appears rs the accuser OF
id insect, MIR, Weeks as it's defender, and
Ers. Aaron as one who holds intermediate
Jews. A great many people, already aware
Fom personal experience that mosqultoes
10 undesirable associates, will be surprised
he human race the insect is and always has
.een-the insect Is found az fossil among
he geological remains of former ages. ap-
|arently never at any period having been
ktinct, and always having been indus
ious.
There seems to be no doubt that the mos
uito is capable of communicating poison.
he fact that if it is allowed to remain long
nouRh to draw out sufficient quantity OF
hood but little irritation remains seems to
rove this, but it is also said that it is cap
BILE of innoculating mankind with malarlal
isease. Lewis has found twenty female
Mosquitoes out of 40 to be infected with
MIS- states that the diseases arising from
laria in the blood are very serious.
DIR. Finlay, of Havana, asserts that it is
ia belief that the mosquito js an agent in
preading yellow fever. He says that the
1sect, after punoturing the skin OF the
elbow fever patient, retains some OF the
erms of the disease and that he commu-
o sure is he that the mosquito is the active,
not the only, agent for the dissemination
K yellow fever that he holds that the dis
ase cannot exist where the mosquito does
lot flourish. In corroborstion of this opin-
bn, he says that in the summer Of 1885
Mosquitoes were quite scarce IN Havana
ut were very numerous in the autumn,
nd that in the summer there were few
elbow fever cases, but that in October and
November they increased considerably.
Mr.. II. Hammond, in Science, appears to
onfirm this view. ''1n 1885," says Mr..
hammond, 'during yellow fever epidemic
om Maas' . nsighbosins ing suburb among
be sand hills. There were no mosquitoes
Somerville, which was approached by a
hther circuitous route from Augusta.
ONE years after, straight, broad road
vas built through the swamps directly to
be sand hills, oisterns were also built, and
hAA~ $vN&S1
Fab1e pest. During the yellow fever cpl
smic Of 1854 number Of cases originated
I the sand hills Astounding with mosqui-
oes."
The book will serve one good purpose at
past. Il will do Justice to that much-ma-
Rned insect variously known in different
arts Of the country az the dragon, fly; mos;
snake FEEDER" Il will place him in q bet
pr light. for, instead Of deserving the OBJ
pquy which has universally been cast upon
i'm, he appears to be entitled to much con-
Iteration as the insect relied upon to de-
troy the mosquito.
II have read" .ays the Rev: d.; M a; !;
Of fine serves me truly
K American civilization, New York city
hose session was broken up by the advent
K an innocent dragon fly through an open
Iindow. An alarm raised by one scholar
assed through the entire room: "A DEVILS
arning needle! A devils darning needle !
he ominous phrase Piped in the shrill
saoher. ahd the agitation became 90 gem
raj that the school had TO be dismissed az
b act of humanity"
The French, who do not appear to have
he fear of the insect which We manifest,
ave called it the "demoiselle." Dragon
les are harmless enough, and. for that
natter, pretty enough, but can they really
ut up all the mosquitoesH Upon this point
here are very opposite opinions.
orn, while engaged in building the Lake
hyperion d Mississippi railroad, made
fequent excursions in the capacity of di-
pctor and treasurer of the company,
trough the swampy forests around the
upper time, often. with sentiment OF
eatitude, looked through my mosquito
oil Ut the dragon flies that collected in the
pen spaces among the pine trees. They
arted from side to side. like swallows in q
leadow, but with amazing rapidity; and
every turn, the natives assured me, q
hosquito ceased from troubling. ; X After
ard I happened to observe an entomoio-
let feeding dragon fly that had eaten
6irty house flies in rapid succession with
ut lessening its yoracity. What thought
culd be more natural than the one that
anne to me, that an artificial multiplication
3 dragon flies might accomplish mitiga-
lon Of the mosquito pest"
Capt. G. N. B. Macaulay of the United
tates army has given his experience. II
he summer of 1885 he was ON duty at Fort
braham Lincoln in Dakota. To show the
aickness of the mosquitoes at that time il
be neiRhborhood OF Fort Abraham Lincoln
says: "On the target range during tht
nd Of June and about three weeks il
My I could not stay unless had on heavy
oots-such as are used out there for riding
hick trousers, leather Rauntlets, and .
hick cache nez' tucked under my helme
nd collar of my tunic."
The air was filled with clouds Of thes'
prmentors, vet at the appearance of two OF
hree dragon flies the mosquitoes woult
lddenly disappear. He was curious to sc.
DIV they caught their food. He noticed
rat they dew in an irregular sort of |
kirmish line, moved SLOWLY, and every nov
pd then made ''dabs' at APPARENT,
pthing. Each ono of these "dabs" mean
mosquito.
s'They staid at about an average" say
apt. Macaulay, ''of three feet from ths
round. do not know how late they KEEP
mp or how early they began. They stay
until all the mosquitoes appeared to b
Dne. intended catching one and chloro
FminR it for examination-I even mad
net for the purpose-but ] hadn't tn,
part to do it, because of the businesslik,
~ they made life bearable.''
II 10 believed by some that the dragon q,
IN be 90 propaRated as to destroy mos
nitoes. Its great voracity and the fac
bat 1t chooses the same locality az tn
oequito 10 relied upon by those who hav'
nth in this remedy.
- 81 np han L. L.