CLASSIFICATION OF TJIE MOSQUITOES 231 



and to the one which is mentioned as the " petiole of the 

 first submarg-inal cell." In order to study the teeth of 

 the claws of the front feet, it is necessary for most people 

 to break off a foot and mount it on a microscope slide, for 

 study with the compound microscope. One who is keen- 

 sig'hted and expert with the hand lens can make them out 

 pretty well with a rather high jiower (say a quarter-inch 

 Tolles triplet) hand lens, but many others have great difti- 



FiG. 49.— Claws of Front Feet of Culex perturhans ; female at right, male 

 at left ; grciitl}' enlarged. (Original.) 



culty in detecting them in this way. This, curiously 

 enough, is especially true of those skilled in the use of the 

 compound microscope. The terminal claws of the front 

 feet of nearly all mosquitoes possess good characters in 

 the teeth, and in order that readers may know just what 

 to look for, the claws of the front feet of tAvo species are 

 shown on the accompanying cuts, with the teeth plainly 

 indicated. Whether a claw bears one tooth, or two, or 

 none, is very important in the classification. 



