Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1904-08-03
REPORT FROM
FLATHEAD
Letter From the State Biological Sta.
ton Telling of the Doings Of
Lewistown People.
THE MOSQUITOES ARE SCARCE
Hard to Find Enough Of the Pests TO
Make a Study-Prof. Silloway
Makes Good Finds,

The SIKH session u- he University
ui Montana Biological Station az Big
fork ON FIathoad Lake opened on
Monday July is, for a session Of four
weeks. Prof p. NJ, Silloway, Of the
Fergus County High school. began
work al the station June % and
hence has bcen carrying on his or
astrological studies for the last louI
weeks. He is accompanied by his
son Hcrbcri, who assists in the work
on birds. and by Arthur Lehman, also
cr Lcwistown. who is making a study
nr flowers 10 supplement that Of his
brother Walter, made last year.
Principal Maurice Kicker. OF Bur.
lIngton. Iowa, with his wife and
daughter, arrived at the station July
:, fixed up the boats and apparatus.
and proceeded 10 make dredgings
from the lake. Mr., Kicker immediate.
ly began a study Of the mosquitoes I'M,
der the direction Of =. A. Howard,
United States ontcmologist.
Prof. NJ, J., Elrod, of the state Uni.
vursity al Missoula, director Of the
station, with a party and the station
paraphcrnalia. arrived on Friday, tho
18th. and arranged the microscopes,
buuks and other material for the ls.
ual work. Amang these are Mrs. I'll
rod and their daughter, Mary, Prof.
ID. VI. Hamilton of the University, Mrs,
]. c. Rowe and daughter of MissOu'
Ia, Louis Vessel of Butte, and Miss
Millio II. Smith, of Forsyth. During
the week many visitors dropped in
10 see the station. Among these were
Mrs. c. II. Johnson and family and
Mrs. Kenneth Ross and family. all OF
Missoula. Prof, j. =. Rowe. Of the
department of geology al the Univer'
sity, came to the station during the
week To make a study of the glacia.
lion of the region.
Mr.. Jones, assistant TO X. A. Cooley,
of the agricultural college AT Bozc-
man. spent several weeks AT the sta
lion making a collection oil insects
for the agricultural college. Prof.
Cooley spent several days recently in
the vicinity Of the station studying
insect pests.
The work of the station this season
gives promise of very successful re-
suits. The mosquito this year is en-,
tiroly absent from the region. making
II possible to collect in any portion
of the swamps without discomfort
Ordinarily the swamps are i%naccessi
BILE.
The absence of the mosquito makes
the work of Mrs. Kicker specially diff
1cult. since an abundance of the in.
soets was anticipated BY diligent
carch of the pools. puddles and the
swampy places adjacent to the labor
alory a considerable quantity of ma.
tCrial both in the larval and adult
state. has been secured. and breeding
experiments are being carried on III
the laboratory. Seven distinct spec.
les have thus far been found as a re
suit OF the two weeks study. Anophe.
les maculipennis is very sparingly 70
be had. This is the species that is
known to carry malaria. No malaria
has yer been known 10 have occur
red in the region. As malaria is dis
tinctly a disease of warm blooded ami
mails il is quite possible that some
malarial affected person may come in,
to the moist region and by means OF
the %anopheles distribute malaria
which is now absent TO the commun
ity. Culex perturbans is fairly abun
dant, belonging TO the group with con
s]picuous white rings ON the abdomen
and legs. This species, while com
mon, is not the species that is IL
such numbers. causing so much an
5 noyanre to both residents and tn do
mCstio animals. Culex incidcns ha.
been reared from young larvae an,