THE MALARIAL 3I0SQUIT0ES 93 



Dr. W. S. Thayer saw the European species in Grassi's 

 laboratory in Italy, and on liis return to this country told 

 me that he thought the two forms were identical ; and 

 the English student, F. V. Theobald, who is monograph- 

 ing the mosquitoes of the Old World for the British Mu- 

 seum, has studied a large series of specimens from this 

 country and has decided that the European and American 

 forms are identical. This at once suggests the interesting 

 question as to whether this abominable creature was in- 

 troduced from Europe to America or the reverse. It is 

 quite within the bounds of possibility that malaria was 

 originally an European disease and that not only was the 

 disease itself carried from there on sailing vessels, but 

 the mosquitoes which propagate it as well, at least to 

 America. 



The Life History of Anopheles rnacuUpennis. 



The Adult. — The accompanying illustration (Fig. 15) 

 will show very well the general appearance of the 

 adult insect. It is a rather large mosquito and is very 

 bloodthirsty. It is attracted to the house in numbers. 

 The differences between the males and females are 

 well brought out in Fig. 15, and the striking feathery 

 antennae and palpi of the male render it very conspic- 

 uous. The wing markings and the color of the palpi 

 differentiate this species from our other species of 



common about Fiieiiwalde in niiilsumnier. Its sting is more painful 

 tlian that of any gnat I know, and lias a nincli more pernicious elTcct. 

 During a l)otanicai excursion of several days which I made with some 

 of my ]iupils, I noticed that the sting prodnced deep purulent wounds, 

 whicii it took several weeks of careful medical treatment to heal." 



