466 POPULAR ^SCIENCE MOyTIILY. 



During a visit to Maine in June, a large number of larvge of Euco- 

 rethra were taken from the spring where the barrel had been sunk. 

 It was noticeable that larvae of other kinds of mosquitoes were absent, 

 although the adults were very numerous in the immediate vicinity. 



The absence of other mosquito larvae was accounted for when later 

 it was discovered that the larva3 of Eucorethra fed upon the larvae of 

 other mosquitoes, eating them apparently with great relish. On sev- 

 eral occasions fourteen Eucorethra larvae ate, during the night, sixty 

 Culex larvffi out of the seventy that had been placed in the water with 

 them. When eating the larvae of mosquitoes smaller than themselves, 

 the victim is caught, shaken violently a few times, and swallowed in a 

 few seconds in very much the same way that a pickerel would catch 

 and swallow a smaller fish. 



As yet no experiments have been made to see if this new species 

 will devour the larvae of Anopheles as readily as they will those of 

 Culex. Whether or not this species will thrive in the climate of 

 southern New England is as yet uncertain, but experiments are now 

 being carried on to determine this point. 



Although myriads of mosquitoes are destroyed by the natural ene- 

 mies which have been mentioned, mail should ,be the most destructive 

 foe of these insects. There is no doubt that the mosquito pest may 

 be very largely abated by the employment of scientific methods for 

 causing its destruction in the early stages of its development. 



While it is the duty of boards of health !to recognize mosquitoes as 

 active agencies for the dissemination of certain diseases and to take 

 such measures as are possible for their extermination, the work can 

 never be effectively done until the people of each community are fully 

 informed in regard to the life history of the mosquito so that all may 

 cooperate intelligently to secure its destruction. 



