No. 8.] MURPHY — THE MUSQUITO. 463 



the writer has long believed, on the evidence of the fossils he has 

 himself observed, to represent a lapse of geological time extend- 

 ing from the base of the Potsdam to the Chnzy limestone. f 



Specimens of Mr, Richardson's graptolites have been sent to 

 the Geological Survey Museum, and will also be sent to the 

 State Museum at Albany, and it may be hoped that they will be 

 studied in more detail by the palaeontologists of the Canadian 

 and New York Surveys. 



THE PROBOSCIS AND BLOOD-SUCKING APPAR- 

 ATUS OF THE MOSQUITO, GENUS CULEX. 



By Fdward Murphy, Esq. 

 (Read before the Natural History Society, 30th April, 1883.) 



It is an interesting question how a creature as small as the 

 mosquito, and so very light that the slightest breeze will blow it 

 away, can hold on to its prey with sufficient tenacity to force 

 through a hard epidermis, and into the solid flesh, the very deli- 

 cate and perfect instruments with which nature has furnished it 

 for feeding. 



The object of this paper is to lay before the members of the 

 Natural History Society the result of repeated observations 

 made on the mosquito while feeding, and a careful examination 

 of its organs under the microscope. Having dissected a number 

 of these little creatures I can with .some confidence submit the 

 following results of my observations, taken from notes made on 

 these in.sects. and shall illustrate the subject by mounted speci- 

 mens prepared by myself, now under the microscopes for exam- 

 ination. 



Entomology teaches that in the " bloodsucking " insects there 

 is a wonderful modification of the mandibulate mouth. 



In the mosquito a prolongation of the labium forms a fleshy 

 proboscis, covered with minute scales, having a muscular con- 

 traction a short distance from the point or end, which not only 

 holds the sucking tube, the saws and other feeding organs in 

 a compact body for insertion when required, but probably also 

 forms a cleaning organ, through which they can be drawn. 



t See also Dr. Selwyn's remarks on this subject in the Report of the 

 Geological Survey, 1877-78, pp. 4-5. 



