34 THE REPORT OF THE No. 19 



Dr. Fletcher, in reply, spoke of the high position the College had at- 

 tained in public estimation and the great value of its work in improving in 

 all departments the agriculture of the country. While its object was largely 

 to teach how to increase and improve the products of the farm, the work of 

 the Entomological Society was devoted to the saving of a proportion of the 

 crops that would otherwise be destroyed by insects and be a serious loss to 

 the farmer. 



Mr. B. Barlow, the President of the Wellington Field Naturalists Club, 



welcomed the Society to Guelph and extended the cordial greetings of the 



Club. In the course of his remarks he mentioned that the Club had now 



been organized for five years, and during that time had devoted itself to the 



study of the fauna and flora of the County of Wellington, the aim being 



to make in time a complete biological survey of the district. So far, they 



had formed a list of over 200 birds observed in the county, with a record of 



dates, breeding, numbers, etc., and were not likely to add many more to it. 



In botanv, flowers, plants, grasses, ferns, sedges, etc., were being collected 



and studied; fishes and other aquatic animals, mammals such as squirrels. 



moles, mice, etc., were also under observation. Fortnightly meetings were 



held either in the town or at the College and were well attended. He spoke 



with much gratification of the formation of the new Guelph branch of the 



Entomological Society, which had been completed this morning, and with 



which the Club would work hand in hand. 



Dr. Fletcher acknowledged the kind greetings of the Club and stated 

 that it was now widely known and had established an excellent reputation 

 for careful work and accurate records. He then introduced the lecturer of 

 the evening, De. John B. Smith, Professor of Entomology at Eutgers' Col- 

 lege, New Jersey, and head of the Entomological Department of the New 

 Jereey i^ gricultural College Experiment Station, a notable entomologist of 

 world-wide reputation, one who was distinguished for his scientific work on 

 nocturnal lepidoptera, his practical work in economic entomology and his 

 important researches regarding mosquitoes and public work for their exter- 

 mination in some badly infested regions on the coast of New Jersey. 



The following is a brief abstract of Prof. Smith's lecture, which was 

 illustrated with a large number of lantern slides made from original photo- 

 graphs and drawings. 



A REVIEW OF THE MOSQUITO WORK IN NEW JERSEY.* 

 By John B. Smith. 



Mosquitoes are essentially aquatic in the larval stage and none have yet 

 been found that form an exception to this rule. As the larvse of nearly all 

 the troublesome species are known, and all breed in water, it is safe to plan 

 for practical work on the assumption that the habit is universal. 



Of the adult mosquitoes only the females bite, the lancet-like structures 

 being undeveloped in the male which, necessarily, subsists on plant juices 

 only. When a mosquito bites, it injects into the wound a minute drop of 

 poison (saliva) and this seems to break up the blood structure so that it no 

 longer forms a clot: a smear from the mosquito stomach spreads out thin 

 and dries to a brittle scale. 



That mosquitoes are active agents in the transmission of certain febrile 

 diseases is no longer seriously questioned and, in general, it is agreed that 



•Abstract of a lecture delivered at the evening meeting, Oct. 18th and illustrated with 

 lantern slides. 



