The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-07-19
METHODS OF MOSQUITOES
DISSERTATION UPON THE VICIOUS
HABITS OF THE LITTLE Pa ST.
How She Gets in Her Work-Tne Pro

noun She" is Used Advlsedly, for it
Is the Female Insect That Worries
Our Sleep and Stings Our Faces.
From the st. Louis Globe Democrat.
~ stood on the bridge at midnight" the
anything but genial mosquito" "mos-
keto," 'musquetoe," 'moschito," ''mos-
Ghetto, " "mosquetto," "muschetto," mus
hetto, or "musquetto,n sings on these cool,
damp evenings st. Louis has been enjoying
during the past week. For such a very lit
tie pest the mosquito" has more
names and in more languages than
any other living thing. Scientists variously
call her the cuIec pipiens. ailec America
mus, the cousin, the mGucheron and the
"humming gnat." The Century dictionary
describes the insect of many aliases as lone
of many different kinds of gnats or midges.
the female of which bites animals and draws
blood" Persons who are given to attribute
to the female sex all the gentleuess and
amiability there is in the world will bear
this in mind.
AN INCIDENT INSECT.
MIR. Mosquito is an easy-going, gorgeously
arrayed creature, with neither the DISPOSE
ton nor the ability to bite animals and draw
blood. He is a sort of Turveydrop in the
insect world, who seems to have no higher
object during his brief life than ''to show
himself about town. His life, to be sure. is a
short one, but then it is full of Incidence and
luxury. He Is expected to pay certain deli
cate attentions to his intinitesimal spouse
which she rewards when tired of him by
giving him short. sharp and fatal prod of
the remarkable lance which she carries con-
cealed in her proboscis. He is not provided
with such weapon, and is as much at her
mercy as a boxer at that of a skilled
swordsman. He is of gentle and perhaps
amiable character. He lives on a strictly
vegetable diet, which may account for the
absence OF the bloodthirsty and ferocious
spirit of his spouse. She can at q pinch
live the life Of vegetarian, but what she
wants is gore, piping hot gore, hui
man If she can get it; but never overlooking
any chance. The toughest hide that ever
covered horse or a steer does not intervene
between the lady mosquito and her vampir-
ish thirst It is even doubted that Col
Mosquito is given to vocal efforts If he
ever does join his consort in nerve-destrov-
ing duet he sings very low, and his per-
formance is entirely overlooked, when the
restless human appreciates the ease with
which my lady takes high G and holds it
until driven out of the room by the exas-
perated wielder of a wet towel.
Less is known about the origin of the
MOSQUITOES name than of his habits, and
Americans have no monopoly of Informal
ton upon this latter phase Of the subject.
All climates claim the mosquito as pest in
chief. On the upper waters of tie Missouri
mosquitoes, after a rainy season, are the
greatest impeachment to navigation met
with. They swarm by millions. Cattle are
driven in the river, and they stand with
their muzzles alone held above the water,
which are black with the pests. Pilots on
the boats are forced to burn smudge fires.
They are Of every conceivable degree of
minuteness, and no veil has fine enough
texture to exclude them. Arctic explorers
all write of sufferings at the hands or
rather stlngs of mosquitoes.
In England mosquitoes are called gnats
and on the continent of Europe cousins,
moucherons and other names The gnat
belongs to the genus euler. 1t is found IN
most Of the temperate and tropical portions
of the globe where man has penetrated.
About thirty species are known in the
United States.
HOW THE MOSQUITO is BUILT.
In the human family the female is the
more ornamental es we'll as the more ania-
bio animal. In the insect world, particu-
larly among mosquitoes, the reverse is the
case There are mosquitoes which confine
their activities to the daylight hours, and
which lavish their caresses principally on
the tender foliage of trees and aromatic
plants. These principally inhabit woods
and marshes. The other varieties make
themselves heard and felt during the night
chiefly. The greater portion of their actiy We
existence is passed in or near human habi-
tations. These are the varieties with which
man is most intimately acquainted.
But IN all the species of the mosquito
family the male apparently is the superior
being. In grace and elegance of architect
ural construction, as well as in variety and
gorgeousnesS of raiment, the male MOSQUITO
far surpasses the female. The male also
enjoys privileges and prerogatives to which
the female can never aspire-certainlv can
never gain. The function which she per-
forms in propagation of the species
comDels her to consume more food
than he does, and all this food she is
obliged to get herself. In every essential
particular she has to make her own and the
tamilys living without the slightest aid
from him. Such food as he requires for
himself, which is neither large in quantity
nor varied in quality, he picks up. Beyond
that he does little except to display his
charms and enjoy life. 1t is the female of
the mosquito family with which the human
species comes in most intimate contact. The
female does by far the greater portion of
the biting done by the family, and the
warblings of the mosquito are those of the
female mosquito alone.
METAMoRPHosIs ON THE MOSQUITO.
The mosquito first appears In the form of
an egg. The eggs are deposited in the
water by the mother mosquito. Before
doing this she crosses her hind legs in the
shape of letter Y. AS the eggs are dropped
they are caught by the crossed legs the
gutinous substance attaching to the eggs
holding them together. The number of
eggs laid by one female before rising is very
great. These eggs are arranged in the form
of raft and left to tide on the water.
hallow, stagnant, fresh water usually being
selected. By the additions made to the
number Of eggs the raft is converted into a
sort of boat. and when the laying process
is all completed the boat consists of from
800 to $50 eggs. This is the first stage in the
Of the embryo mosquito. After
the last egg is laid and the boat completed,
the mothers function, so far, at least, as
regards this particular brood, ends, and the
eggs are left to shift for themselves.
\ few days after the egg boat is launched
the larvae appear. These are of an eion-
gated, worm-like form, and come out of the
lower cad of the eggs, leaving the empty
shells forming the boat lying on the surface
of the water. The shell is soon DESTROYED
by the action of winds and water.
When the Larvae appear the eggs
are hatched. Most country readers
of this article have seen these Larvae
IN Immense numbers on the surface of star-
nant water during the warm months. They
are vulgarly called "wigglers" Suspended
from the surface Of the water, with head
they are enabled to breathe by
M of k,,h