El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-05-14

healthy person inoculated with it.
Cuba Freed by killing Pest.
Yellow fever has been almost entireIy
| stamped out in Cuba by destroying tn
breeding places of the Stegomyia mos
quito. On the Isthmus of Panama
through the adoption of similar means
| the dreaded malaria has been put [,
rout- In view of which facts there il
obvious reason to hope that further anC
| more exact knowledge of this danger.
Gus tribe of insects may lead to vast i'm
| provements in the healthfulness of many
! regions, and may even open up to set
( Element certain extensive areas which
owing to the plaques afflicting them
are today practically uninhabitable.
! Female Mosquito the Bitter.
It is the female mosquito, of course
that does all the mischief, inasmuch as
she alone is able TO bite. She may be
distinguished from the male not only
by her bite, but also by her very beau
tiful voice. Her liege lord is not vo-
calist.
The song of the lady mosquito is a
real song The notion that her music
! is made by the vibration of her wings
was exploded some time ago. If such
an idea were to be accepted, why should
she be often silent tas undoubtedly is
the case when flying about,
tied by an eminent naturalist who found
by experiment that mosquitoes deprived
Of their wings could still make music
when alarmed or otherwise excited.
Makes Noise By Breathing.
Not until recently, however, has it
been definitely aScertained that this
song of the lady mosquito is produced
by her breathing-not through her
throat (for she has no physiological
equipment of that sort, such as we pos
sess), but through q pair of tubes which
have their external openings behind the
wings Just inside Of each of these
openings is a little strip of a very
hard substance calle1 "chitine." which
is made TO vibrate by the air pass
ing through. II might be compared to
a piece of WhalebOne, fast at one end
and free at the other. The vibrations
of this strip are what made the music
When the insect is a rest (perched,
let US say, on a mosquito bar)2 or
flying aimlessly about, the vibrations
are not rapid enough TO produce a sound
audible to the human ear. But let her
become excited, by the expecta ton of
meal of blood or any other cause, and
her breathing becomes faster; the strip
Of chitine inside the opening of each
tube is more actively agitated, and the
song grows loud. Do you hear that
zip" as she aIights, bent upon
feast, 1t is her high note, from the
chest
Same Under All Conditions
You make a futile slap at her, and she
hastily departs, unsatisfied. But not
without protest. You can hear her
shrek at the top of her vocal register,
as If with anger, as she effects her es-
cape. 1t is interesting to notice that,
r7-f1- Of oil
Of citronella, or something else intol-
cradle TO her, she utters the same kind
Of scream. And so also will she, if cap
tured in the hand and held by the legs.
Miss Evelyn Mitchell, of the Smith
sonian Institution, who is one of the
foremost living authorities on mosqui-
toes, quotes a little niece Of hers as
saying: L don't see why they screech
so. If they don't like how 1 taste it's
awful impolite for them to holler about |
1t so loud
Just Singing for Mate.
AS a matter of fact, however, the OBJ |
iect of the song is unquestionably to !
attract the gentleman insect. 1t has |
been shown by experiment that if tun- (;
ng fork which emits a note near to !
hat of the female mosquito be struck /
within twenty feet of a male of her /
species, he will at once turn about, face !
he music. and erect the two feather /
ike appendages on his head, somewhat !
liter the manner of a cookatoo.
These appendages may otherwise be !
designated with some descriptive ap- !
as the whiskers of the !
gentleman mosquito But the truth is
hat they are organs of hearing-his /
,ars, in other words-and will vibrate 1
n response to certain notes struck on
uning forks. It is evident that they
afford the means whereby the male in I
sect is made aware of the whereabouts |
f the female. They not only notify him
# her nearness. but also of the direc-
ion in which she is to be sought.
Males Have Whiskers.
One of these summer mornings, when /
you have been bitten or annoyed by
mosquitoes in the night, take the trou-
lie to look on the window screens,
md the chances are that you will see
everal of the insects roosting on the
outside. Examine them and you viii
discover that they are conspicuously
yhiskered specimens. No magnifying
,iass is needed; the whiskers are the
most noticeable things about them In
5 much as the females have no whis-
ers, you may safely infer that these
re males They have heard the noe
urnal song which you were unable
o appreciate, and are waiting for the
aides to come out of the restaurant
s they usually will, if opportunity Of
ers. soon after daybreak
Gentlemen Insects Harmless.
The gentleman mosquito is harmless
D man. He is provided with no surgi
al instruments wherewith to make 4
uncture. Apparently his principal du-
y in life is that of father. But ne
as a very highly developed taste cor
lusic- So well is he educated in this
aspect that Ie is able unerr: ngIy TO
any lady of his own species by
er voice. And this is an important
latter. because different kinds of mos
uitoes have voices not at all alike. The
1ng of the malaria carrier, Anopheles,
or example. is a deep contralto-easily
from the high soprano
the yellow fever mosquito. Stegomyia.
Attracted by Music.
stringed musical instrument is
'und TO be a great attraction to mos
1itces of both sexes. Whence it would
.em desirable, on warm summer nights.
eschew the light guitar and other
lch means of melody, in the open, if
le insects are too numerous and at
.ntive.
Rene Bache.
Chamberlain's stomach and Liver Tab