The Yale expositor., 1909-10-08
mr. AMA701y on N0JQWT0 -

D% HE scientists in the service
" of the United States and the
states which are waging war
"A on the mosquito have discov-
NJ cred new method OF exter-
minating the pest. This
method consists in propagating and
distributing a parasitic worm which
lodges in the body of the mosquito
and kills it or checks its egglaying
powers.
II has for several years been recog.
nfZed that the mosquito is one of the
worse public enemies of the American
people. Upward of $4,000 deaths oc-
cur from malaria. which is spread by
She mosquito alone. This figure does
not count the vast number of people
whose systems are weakened by ma
laria and thus easily succumb to 9TH
er diseases. The discomfort caused
by the mosquito in many parts of the
country is also a grave injury to pros
perity. Therefore, anything which
tends TO eXterminate the mosquito is
of immense public benefit.
How greatly some regions are in
just been shown by the dispatches
from Chenier au Tigre, large and
fertile island I'm the Gulf. off New Or
feans. The mosquitoes there have bred
In such quantities that the inhabi-
tants have been forced to keep in
doors altogether, while the cattle have
been killed 10y the mosquitoes filltnS
mp their nostrils and threats and cho-
king them.
The new worm which kill the mos
quito is known to science as agomer-
mis- culiois-meaning ''roundworm of
the mosquito"-and is recognized as a
destructive parasite of the wicked in
sect II is also called the "hairworm"
IN many places on account of its re-
semblance to small hair. 1t spends
at least part of its life in the belly of
the mosquito, and, In the case of the
female, when 1t does not kill her, it
prevents her from reproducing her
-species-a result equally satisfactory.
Very little is known of the life his
tory OF the worm, or how 1t spends
the early stages of its existence 1t is
a new discovery. 1t was first found
and identified, only short time ago.
by DR. John b. Smith, who, as ento-
mOlogist attached TO the New Jersey
agricultural experiment station, at
New Brunswick, has charge of the
mosquito survey of his state. which
has a widespread reputation for pro-
,ducing a remarkable crop of mosqui-
toes.
There are, as is well known, many
species of mosquitoes In New Jersey.
But the worst of them all, so far as
ability to annoy goes, is the brute
with striped legs. This is the real and
original Jersey mosquito" Ii breeds
In marshes. though 1t flies thence for
great distances, and scientific men
Anow ii as "culex solicitans."
Necessarily. this species cuts a very
large figure in the problem which DR.
Smith is engaged in tackling. With
n view to studying its life history in
detail. he has built on marsh a cage
Of wire net, with framework of scant-
ling. big enough for himself to occu-
py. In this cage he has reared the
marsh mosquitoes, watching them
through all the stages of their de-
veiopment, IN the midst of their nat
ural surroundings Incidentally, he
has subjected many specimens to mi
crOscopic examination. to find out how
the egg sacs of the females developed.
and other such points.
On a number of occasions, while
thus studying the female insects, he
noticed that their abdomens seemed
abnormally enlarged. Finally, his
curiosity being aroused by this phe-
DOmenon, he tore open the belly ef
one of the insects, and found inside
Of it two-hair-like worms about third
OF an inch long. and nothing else
They were something new to him,
and 50 he sent the worms to the gov.
eminent helmintbologist signifying
worm MANN Washington
The worm man, DIR. Charles Wardell
stiles. promptly identified them as
round worms" of the kind popularity
known as hair worms" or wire
worms" He also gave them the lone
Latin name already mentioned. and
said that they we're undoubtedly para
sites of the mosquito But in the
meantime DIR. Smith had started in tc
examine large numbers Of marsh mos
quitoes for worms. In a lot that was
sent in from Barnegat bay he found
many infested. In fact. every collec
tion received at the experiment sta
6ion from Raritan river to Cape May
yielded numerous worms.
Tie thinks 1t beyond doubt that the
parasite shortens the life of the mos
quito II infccts-though this, Of
course. is a matter unimportant com
pared to the prevention of reproduc
ton Apparently. the worm does no.
diminish the insects appetite at ali