Telegram-herald., 1890-09-09
THE BUSY MOSQUITO.
A wrhois BOOK Has AT Last Been
Dedicated 70 ths Pest
s..ss~. BsEsx a. Asgrss@slsa &c tie Best
Nansr<d PsF<oa ths fasset C4rFlss
Dlsezss Gsrnas fron o1< ef Its
yfSrszas 40 ths Othsx.

Nessrs. Appletoa are printing book
m the uosauiso. SAYS tie Boston Globe.
A grezs mzsy people. already aware
f-oa personal experience that moSqui-
Toes are undesirable associates, Will be
SURPRISED u 6nd out ~hAt 4 really ses5-
Gus cneuly OF the human race the IN
sees is 2aa al1zys has beeR-the insect
Is found a. fossil among the geologi-
cal remains of former ages, apparent
" never. al any period. having been
extinct, and always having been indus
tri0us.
There seems 70 De no doubt that the
mosquito is capable OF communicating
q poison. The fact that fit is allowed 70
remain long enough % draw out suf-
ncient quantity Of blood bat little irri-
tation remains seems 10 prove this,
but il is also said that il is capable ot
inoculating mankind With malarial dis
ease.
DR.. Fnlay, Of Havana, asserts that i,
Is his belief that the mosQ uitoiS an agent
in spreading yellow fever. He saws
that the insect, after puncturing the
skin OF the yellow fever patient, retains
some OF the germs OF the disease, and
that he communicates these TO the next
person he visits. So sure Is he that the
mosquito is the active If not the only
agent for the dissemination of yellow
fever, that he holds that the disease
can not exist where the mosquito does
not flourish.
The book will serve one good purpose
at least. 10 viii do justice 10 that
much-maligned insect variously known
in different parts OF the country as the
dragon-hy, mosquito-hawk, devils darn
ing needle and snake-feeder. 1t will
place him in = better light, for, instead
OF deserving the obloquy which has
universally been cast upon him he ap-
pears 10 be entitled 10 much considera-
tion, as the insect relied upon TO destroy
the mosquito.
Captain C. N. b. Macaulay of the
United States army has given his ex-
perience. In the summer of 1885 he
was on duty at Fort Abraham Lincoln
in Dakota. To show the thickness OF
the mosquitoes at that time in the
neighborhood of Fort Abraham Lincoln
he says: ''On the target range, during
the end of June and about three weeks
in July, l could not stay unless had
on heavy boots-such as are used oul
there for riding-thick trousers, leather
gauntlets and a thick cache nez' tucked
under my helmet and collar Of my
tunic."
The air was filled with clouds Of these
tormentors, yet at the appearance Of
two or three dragon flies the mosquitoes
would suddenly disappear. He was
curious to see how they caught theil
food. He noticed that they flew in ar
irregular kind of skirmish line, moved
slowly, and every now and then made
''dabs" at apparently nothing. Each
one of these 'dabs" meant mosquito.
Another authority, who seems to hold
that il would be questionable policy tc
attempt to destroy the mosquito, it be-
ing in his opinion a scavenger, says
that other enemies may be relied upon
to do that work. He suggests that tc
Danish the mosquito the best plan is tc
drain meadows, bogs and swsmps, tc
fill up stagnant pools and level rain
holding hollows contiguous to dwell
ings.
Certain artificial remedies are also re-
lied upon. The use of coal oil in swamps,
by odorizing the air and floating upon
the surface of the water itself, is very
practical and energetic remedy. 1t de-
stroys the mosquito in its early stages
The use of lanterns, so arranged as tC
attract and destroy the mosquitoes, is
another remedy The mosquitoes are
attracted to them, and are destroyed in
the cans OF coal oil or kerosene or other
similar mixtures which may be used
/ They should be placed around houses
hotels and In marshes. The expense
and trouble of management are small, a:
they are only used during few month.
of the year. Indeed, almost every
method Imaginable of catching and de
stroying tho insect has been suggested
except the very simple one OF putting
salt on its tail aIl clubbing it to death
These scientific authorities are no
above Offering suggestions for the relic
+ of persons whose situation makes then
liable 10 suffer from the bites of these
insect tormentors, and who can not wal
for the propagation of the dragon fly
They recommend lemon juice, vinegar
oil of peppermint and oil of pennyroyal
A very strong infusion of roots of triti
cum repens is successfully used at Sim
birsk as preventive against mosqui
toes. and weak solution Of qusssiz wooC
+ boiled in water, has also been recon
mended.