Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1896-07-31

Of men exposed to this annoyance being
thrown into a fever by constant isritauon'
and I can well believe H."
| The last remark must allude 10 natives.
and 20 the Irritation OF mosquitoes IN
| general sense, for II IL really Datnos
applied to this particular spot. once on
| time the present writer also longed TOT
! Christian society and insisted upon taking
the short cut The mosquitoes were so
| thick that one could not see the paddler
| In the bows; clipping ones palms to-
| gether, one felt the crush OF insects be-
tween them. and black paste remained;
but we did not spend more then an hour
happily in getting through.
A few days afterward Captain Reid OF
her Majesty's ship Rihemen. passed, going
on a visit to the Rajah. For three years
he had been surveying in the China seas,
and his crew were Injured to mosquitoes,
II men can be. But with difficulty they
reached Kuching. and four were taken
straight to hospital. Doubtless the oars
in that narrow passage shaking the nipa
leaves, which are half-submerged, brought
every mosquito within reach upon them.
How do the small fiends liver The
question obtrudes itself In spots like this.
Evidently they get no taste OF blood. Men
do not pass once in a week. animals there
are none in grove OF nipa palms, always
under water. SO far as we can see, their
lancets and sucking tubes serve no pur-
pose. for If they eat one another all the
ingenious apparatus Is unnecessary. IL Is
the same case with fleas In Southern
Europe and elsewhere. The corrfelds are
alive with them, and though at harvest
time one in a million may find a victim,
generations have lived and died in the
months preceding.
Darwin's experiments with insect-eating
plants may possibly throw light upon the
matter. Keeping some under conditions
which forbade them to catch insects, and
others Of the same species unrestrained,
he found that although both grew and
Powered with equal vigor apparently,
those deprived Of animal food did not
readily set their seed, nor ripen it when
set, while the young plants were weakly.
A supply Of insects appears to be neces-
sary for preservation Of the species. So.
perhaps the minute proportion OF mosqui-
toes which find dead fish or something OF
the sort keep the pernicious breed four
ishing.
But there are legends In the South
| Seas OF tree which propagates mosqui-
toes. One may fancy the stories Of horror
and death arising naturally from that
conception Those who believe that popu-
lar tales always have some base Of truth
might well be puzzled in this instance.
Gnats do not breed in trees. Eye-wit-
nesses confirmed the statement In books,
but they failed to convince.
At length, Lieutenant Meade, r. N.
actually beheld the phenomenon upon the
island OF Kanduva. and his report salts
fed all parties Each separate leaf was
completely covered with hundreds OF little
| gray wings and bodies all pointing In the
same direction, pulsating with life. so
! closely packed that not an atom Of the
| green surface could be seen. They did
not seem to be feeding. but they were
not easily disturbed" Not till after the
closeet scrutiny did Lieutenant Meade
| perceive that the insects were not mos
| quitoes Thus folklore was justified
once again. for It does not claim scientific
accuracy.
But the public wants to know, above
all, whether there is any means OF rout-
ing or evading this enemy Of the human
race which is not itself a torment. Tho
! question must needs have occupied the
deepest minds-Darwin's and Humboldts
| for example; but we do not recall that
! they solved It. The Chinese have done,
|
laugh and sheer at these people 1t will
learn many precious secret
The preparation called mum jung-ean"
can be bought anywhere in China, and
no mosquito viii approaee its smoke, not
at all unpleasant. To Robert Fortunes
careful and difficult analysis we are In
| debted for the ingredients OF this COM
| positlon-juniper sawdust. artemisia
leaves powdered, tobacco arsenic. and a
mineral called nu-wang Most unhappily
! Fortune omits TO translate this word.
The proportions we forget. but they will
| be found In hts old hook, Residence
| Among the Chinese" and nu-wang can
| be identified without much trouble. The
cost-in China-is tnreepence for 100
sticks, and two sticks keep u room of
moderate size absolutely clear OF mos
| quitoes all night.