Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-08-04
WHY MOSQUITO
, BITES Us TOLD
Scientist Declares Jersey
Kind Prefer Cattle, But
Victims Doubt it

Probably knowing more than any
other human being about mosquitoes
knowledge necessarily acquired in
Observation-Disclosures of New Jer-
sey have recently told the rest of
the world some queer things about
the SWAMI eagles of Hudson and
Bergen and other counties-the saw
age mosquitoes that carry away
babies, bite holes in strong men and
easily chisel their way through
metal netting says the New York
Herald. DR.. w. Rudolfs, biochemist
in entomology and mosquito sharp
for the New Jersey Agricultural
Experiment stations, makes a state
ment hat will be doubted. almost
certainly by almost every Jerseyone.
This is that mosquitoes don't really
; care for human blood and have
rather a poor opinion of human be-
J ings as a source of nourishment.
1T is the blood hunger of the NOS
quito that induces them to follow us
and bite" DR.. Rudolfs says. RoJ-
baud found that the number of NOS
quitoes attracted to that part of a
house occupied by human beings was
quite insignificant compared with
the enormous quantities caught in
the part occupied by animals. The
average number of females that had
drawn blood from man was 14.2 per
cent. while frequently 90 per cent
of them had drawn blood from ami
mails.
"Iegandre observed that cattle at
tracted more mosquitoes than horses
did. and that while rabbit cages were
found to be full of gorged mosqui-
toes, similarly constructed cages
61v.esr~ H,,nlyc al ahicIyano mnrn fral
from mosquitoes, as was a dwelling
house a short distance away"
When DIR. Rudolfs' statement was
repeated to Pisiastratus Pifcafilly Of
West Unionist street, Jersey City, he
who makes occasional chronological |
Investigations in intervals of dealing |
in canary birds, MIR. Pifcafilly re-
marked shortly that the doc seemed
to be full of prunes. He said that
If DIR. Rudolfs lived anywhere around
the jersey flats he would get a diff
ferent idea of the mosquitoes estima-
ton of nan as n~ourishment.
HE'LL" Mr.. Pifcafilly snorted dis
gustedly. "Ain't l been chased a mile
or more by a flock of mosquitoes,
she mosquitoes wickeder than Wild
cats, while a whole drove of cattle
unnoticed by them? Amt
ot ~ PiOtVo With my
own dog, a short-haired TERROR, too,
wasn't even nicked? If that's all
can tell us, 1t amt much"
DR.. Rudolfs' studies have had
some interesting results which sets
forth compactly:
The activities of the mosquitoes
to indicate certain reactions
i miliar to man. Although such re-
actions cannot be interpreted in a
way, they were summed up
in arbitrary words, expressing diff
ference between one given set of re-
actions and another given set of re-
actions.
satisfaction of pleasure-Rubbing
of legs, wings and proboscidss;
singing in a low tone; moving wings |
svexy fast for a short time with the
feeN.resttng on some object and re-
maining there.
Neutrality-suspicious. fast, to and fro
fusuaIly not up and DOWN.; singing
In a high tone.
Attraction-Flying straight toward
object; sucking or stabbing. remain
ing quiet with ~proboscides straight.
Repulsion-Flying away from
remaining at a distance;
II forced to remain in close neigh
borhood, keeping proboscides invari-
ably curved upward.
Indifference -, Remaining any
resting or flying a short dis
proboscides straight or curv-
ed: no singing.
Caution-Upon lighting, keeping
one leg always, sometimes two legs,
bent upward (hind legs); remaining
~quiescent or extending legs down
ward and moving wings fast with
out coming to rest; biting after some
time.
Fear-Before alighting, circling
around, going to and fro; sometimes
up and down (rarely); coming to
Etage of caution after alighting.
Restlessness - Upon alight.ng
much the same as caution" but
upward; flying a few inches
close to the object, aiighting again,
walking, and 81 IN. Rarely biting
left undisturbed for some