Feb., '08] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. 8 1 



malaria and yellow fever are carried by mosquitoes and the magnificent 

 demonstrations of the application of this knowledge to the saving and 

 safeguarding of human life. 



The Journal of Economic Entomology will be issued bimonthly, Feb- 

 ruary to December inclusive, each issue to contain fifty to one hundred 

 pages, the size to be limited only by the financial support received and 

 the papers offered. In size of page and style it will be uniform with the 

 Proceedings of the Association of Economic Entomologists of former 

 years (Bulletins of Bureau of Entomology, U. S. Dept. Agr. ). The sub- 

 scription price is $2 per year, in advance, plus 30 cents postage for for- 

 eign subscribers. 



THE NOSE OF THE MOSQUITO. STORIES FROM FLORIDA ABOUT THE 

 INSECT'S LONG RANGE SCENT FOR BLOOD. There is one fact to be 

 taken into account in the natural history of the mosquito of which there 

 seems to be a great deal of ignorance. I allude to the wonderful smell- 

 ing power of that world-embracing insect. Let me begin by relating 

 some facts which will throw some light on the subject, and doubtless sur- 

 prise some readers. 



I once sailed down the Florida coast bound for Key West. We were 

 on a little schooner. The crew were two, the passengers likewise two. 

 About the middle of the afternoon we arrived off one of the points of 

 the coast, which taken together constitute Cape Sable. A river empties 

 into the Gulf there, known as Shark River. It is one of the most notori- 

 ous haunts of mosquitoes on the whole coast. The crew decided that it 

 would not be prudent to pursue our journey that evening, and so we 

 anchored. We were about a mile from the shore, which is there covered 

 witli tall mangrove trees. We prepared our supper and after it was eaten 

 we camped on the deck, or in the cabin as pleased us. The time was 

 June and the wind was blowing gently from the east in from the sea. 

 There was not one mosquito. In the morning we cooked our breakfast 

 and ate it. Wind either a calm, or gentle from the east. No mosqui- 

 toes. Then something happened the wind came out from the west or 

 northwest. Instantly the mosquitoes came out. At first one or two, 

 then more and more. As soon as possible we got up our sails and pro- 

 ceeded to sea. The explanation is simple. As long as the wind blew 

 from the shore to us, the mosquitoes were unconscious of our presence ; 

 when the wind commenced to blow from us to the insects they became 

 aware of the existence of warm blood, and they lost no time time in 

 going after it. 



One night in the summer in Florida I camped in a wagon with a com- 

 panion. The wagon was in a road which ran north and south. The 

 wind was from the east, thus blowing directly across the wagon. I 

 slept on the west side. The mosquitoes to the west of us were at- 

 tracted to us by the smell of our blood. They came to us, but all stopped 

 at ine. MY companion got no mosquitoes, got no bites at all, while I 

 suffered a sleepless night. 



