38 MOSQUITOES 



])ai'atns of some Diptora " (1881), made a most careful 

 stutly of the mouth-parts of both male and female mosqui- 

 toes. His conclusions are decidedly against the possibil- 

 ity that male mosquitoes can bite warm-blooded animals. 

 Ho says, " I have tried to have the male moscpiitoes bite 

 me when in the field where they were abinnhint, l)ut they 

 did not seem attracted, as the f(>male mos(putoes were, to 

 my person ; tho}^ flew away indifferently without lighting 

 upon me. I have often taken male mosquitoes, Avitli all 

 possible care to prevent disturbing them, IxMu^ath a glass 

 cover on my hand, letting them remain long enough to 

 be as trancpiil as they were when upon the leaves and 

 grass of the field, but tliev would iieitliei- l»ite nor sliow 

 any desire to do so, nor have I been al)le to feed male 

 mosquitoes with water, saliva, or fresh blood, all of which 

 liquids the females often drink with avidity. 



" Upon anatomical grounds, I believe that male mos- 

 quitoes take liquid food, although I have never dissected 

 their stomachs to see what this food was. They have 

 mouth-parts and pharynx devel()p(>d sufHcicntly to suck 

 liquids; but tlie al)sence of barbed maxilhe, of a frec^ hy- 

 popharynx, and of (eso])hageal bull), lt>ads one to su])])ose 

 that they take a smaller quantity of food tliaii tlic females 

 do, and that they do not o1)tain it by piercing the skins 

 of animals." 



There is a Euro[)ean s[>e('ies of mosquito, CuJe.r sid'nvis 

 Ficalbi, which is said to \)o diurnal in its hal)its. and to 

 live in salt water, of which tlu» male is said to bite, and 

 to possess mouth-parts (juite like those of the female. 



