352 MOSQUITOES OF NORTH AMERICA 



" The schooner Eleanor arrived from Vera Cruz on July 17, 1902, thirteen 

 days out. She had no mosquitoes on board before reaching Vera Cruz, but there 

 quantities came on board. Her moorings were half a mile from shore and the 

 winds were variable. The captain stated that he could not get rid of the insects 

 after sailing, although the number decreased very much and there were no 

 larv£e in any of the tanks. At the time of her inspection here we caught and 

 identified a number of Stegomym. 



" The brigantine John H. Crandon arrived at the station July 27, 1902, 

 twenty-two days from Vera Cruz, where she had one case of yellow fever on 

 board. At that port she lay a half mile from the sea wall, three-eights of a mile 

 from an infected prison, and within 200 yards of an, infected vessel. Stegomyia 

 fasdata were found on board by Acting Assistant Surgeon Hodgson before she 

 sailed, as well as larvae in the tanks. All during the trip there were mosquitoes 

 in abundance, and a veritable plague of Stegomyia was found on board on her 

 arrival here. There was a constant buzz in the forecastle, and anyone entering 

 was sure to be attacked by several mosquitoes. Specimens were caught in almost 

 every protected pari of the vessel, and all were found to be Stegomyia fasciata. 

 The captain had emptied several water barrels because he found they were breed- 

 ing mosquitoes, but the water remaining had no live larvae, although many old 

 moults were seen. As breeding was surely going on in the tanks during a part 

 of the voyage at least, it would be impossible to say how long any particular 

 mosquito had been aboard or if any of them had been brought here from the 

 infected port. 



" Summary. — The above facts may be summed up as follows : 



Vessels having no mosquitoes on board at any time 65 



Vessels having mosquitoes on board in port of departure 5 



Vessels on which mosquitoes (Culex) appeared en route 9 



Vessels arriving with Stegomyia fasciata on board 3 



(( 



Three and a half per cent, then, of all vessels brought Stegomyia on a voyage 

 averaging seventeen days. 



" Conclusions. — From but one season's observations at a single quarantine 

 station we can not assume to draw any hard and fast conclusions regarding the 

 probability of Stegomyia, infected or not, being carried by vessels. Nevertheless, 

 I think we may conclude, first, that mosquitoes can come aboard vessels under 

 favorable conditions when the vessel is not over 15 miles from shore; second, 

 that Stegomyia can be carried from Mexican or West Indian ports to those of 

 our Gulf States ; third, that they can board a vessel lying at anchor a half mile 

 or less from shore, being conveyed by the open lighters used or flying aboard, and 

 finally, that a vessel moored a short distance from land may become infected with 

 yellow fever, our old beliefs to the contrary notwithstanding." 



MOSQUITOES IN THE COURTS OF LAW. 



So far as known to the writers, it has only been since the disease-bearing 

 function of mosquitoes has become rather generally accepted that these insects 

 have appeared in courts of law. Three rather interesting cases are mentioned 

 below, without any definite statements as to dates and other very exact details, 

 for the purpose of calling attention to an interesting phase of practical 

 entomology. 



About 1900, in a southern town, there was a great deal of malaria and 

 especially among the operatives of certain large cotton mills, the motive power 

 of which was supplied by two large dams. The proprietors of the dams deemed 



