Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1902-07-22

| There are a few facts which may In
| the future be incorporated In the biog-
raphy of the mosquito, facts which
have been collected partly by the in
quiry of scientists, and partly by the
observations of laymen who live in
sections where the pestiferous insect
thrives in great numbers. The mos
quito Is observed In three different
forms, as an egg, in larvae, as wig
gle-tail, and as mosquito with wings.
Eggs are hatched by the warmth OF
the sun. One mosquito may lay 1,OO0,-
600 eggs. Often many of these eggs
are destroyed. Mosquitoes cannot
propagate without the aid Of water.
The eggs are deposited on the surface
of the water. Eggs hatch within few
weeks after they are deposited by the
female. They develop wiggle-tails, the
curious forms of life often found in
rain barrels, cisterns, in cutters filled
with stagnant water and in stagnant
Development the mosquito breathes
through his tail. He spends this part
of his life in rushing to and from the
surface Of the water. When he reach
es the surface, with head down, he
shoves two delicate syphons through
the water level, supplies his lungs with
the needed air and dives under the
vegetable juices necessary to his sus-
tenance. He remains wiggle-tail for
a week or ten days, when his wings de-
velop and he becomes a navigator Of
the air and sails forth to torment mem
bers Of the human family and other
animals. He is fond of animal blood.
He needs it in his business. He cannot
sugar. Blood, sugar and vegetable
juices are his principal diet. A mos
quito's food capacity is roughly esti-
mated at one drop of blood. His di-
mensions are uncertain.
The gray mosquito, the day tormen-
to, is probably the smallest variety.
He Is Of very light weight, not tip
ping the beam at more than one-fourth
of a grain, and often not weighing
quite so much. Some of them are so
light that when unfed that they will
not disturb the balance of the most
delicately poised scales. The small
mosquito is the treacherous kind. He
always lights on the under side Of the
hand or arm, apparently knowing that
he is beyond the reach Of the eye.
He is the same fellow who will crawl
under the edges of the bar or slip un-
der the sheet. There Is another and |
larger variety, a kind that will drop |
on you like a fake Of snow. They |
land with their labium, or lance, un-
folded and with point down, and they |
begin operations at once. While the
of this brand weighs about |
Of a grain, he seems to have |
the tonnage and potentfality Of a pile |
driver when he punctures the skin. |
There are about $50 known varieties
Of mosquitoes in this section of the
world. The mosquitoes labium, the
thing he stings with, is of uncertain
length. 1t Is as sharp as a needle, hol-
low like a hair, and 1t Is through this
that he sucks blood into his system.
wind. He seeks low place when the
wind Is high. He never gets more than
loo yards from the place Of his birth.
The eggs are deposited on still, stag
nant water. Otherwise they will be
destroyed. The life of the mosquito
covers a span Of sixty days. AS dis
seminator of diseases, scientific men
have agreed that his responsibility is
very heavy.-New Orleans Democrat