ENTOMOLCXMCAL SOCIETY OF ONTARIO. 45 



each individual of that cluster keep its eye on the car, so as not to fall behind? But it 

 could not acx'omuioilate its movements to suit the lateral swaying of the car ; every now 

 and again it lound itself a little more off or on. the corner. It maintained its position 

 until darkness obscured or dispersed the dancers. 



Culex pipiens, like many of its relations, lives the earlier part of its life in the 

 water. The female mosquito when ready to deposit her eggs, seeks for stagnant water 

 as the most suitable place on which tu do so. The Rev. J. G. Wood thus clearly de- 

 scribes the opperation : " Placing her front legs on a piece of floating stick, straw, or 

 anything that will support her tiny weight, she allows the middle pair of legs to rest on 

 the surface of the water, and cros.ses the hind pair so as to look like the capital letter 

 X. She then deposits a rather long and spindle-shaped egg, and places it upright with 

 the base downward in the angle of the X. Another egg is quickly placed by the side of 

 the first, and followed by others, all of which are glued together by a cement which is 

 not afiected by water. Guided by the crossed legs, the eggs are formed into a boat-like 

 shape, and are left to float on the surface of the water." 



These boat-like masses are often longer than wide, the lower end of the eggs being 

 the largest, where the head of the future larva is to be, gives more surface below thm 

 above, which naturally turns the ends upwards and helps to give them the boat-like 

 form. In a few days time, according to the weather, the eggs mature and the tiny larva 

 is ushered into what is for the time its native element. lu this state it is a particular! j 

 interesting creature, large in head, slender in body with two openings at the tail ; one 

 situated a little to one side, and surrounded with fine hair.s, opens into the breathing 

 tubes, the other being the end of the digestive canal. [t is very active, propelli ig itself 

 through the water with a peculiar jerking and wriggling movement, which has procured 

 for it the appellative " wriggler," going to the bottom to feed, then rising to the surface 

 to breathe. It may at times be seen resting with its breathing tube above the surface, 

 head down and its mouth-parts moving as if it was taking nourishment Having changed 

 its skin several times, and eaten all it wants, it prepares for another change of form, and 

 throwing aside its larval covering, it emerges a pupa. Its form is greatly altered, much 

 larger at the head end where the mouth-paits, wings and legs of the future mosquito are 

 bunched together in a rudimentary state, the abdomen slender with two propeller-like 

 blades at the end to assist its movements, for it is still active, but more singular still for 

 a pupa, it breathes now not through a tube at the tail as fomerly, but through two pro- 

 jections which it has been provided with, which are situated on the top ot the thorax, so 

 that when it rises to the surface of the water to breathe, it holds its head up now. A 

 wonderful change of habit in so short a time ; whilst living in this state, it also enlarges 

 but does not feed. Having thoroughly matured it is now ready to change its aquatic life for 

 an aerial one. The pupa comes to the surface of the water, the thorax rising above it, the 

 hinder part straightens out, and almost immediately the pupa case bursts on the top of the 

 thorax, and the head of the mosquito appears in the opening by a contracting and ex- 

 panding of the abdomenal segments, the head and thorax are pushed forward and out 

 sufliciently far to free its legs, when ic feels for a support which may be the pupa-case 

 which now floats on the water as a boat. The wings now expand, the abdomen is with- 

 drawn from the case, and Ctdex pipiens is oflT on other business The whole time re- 

 quired for this last transformation is a minute or less. The length of its preparatory 

 life is variously estimated, the weather having a powerful influence — a month is considered 

 quite suflScient. Three or four days to mature the eggs, fourteen or eighteen for the larval 

 stage, and Ave to seven for the pupal. But Prof. Riley, says : " Their delevopment is 

 rapid and with one species at least it has baen ascertained that the entire life-round from 

 egg to adult is undergone in less than two weeks." 



As soon as they have got their wings they make for the thickest vegetable shade 

 within reach. It is said that they will fly for miles inland, but never fly far over water. 

 We read of travellers on the South American rivers, that they prefer to pass the nio'ht 

 in their small boats anchored out on the river, rather than attempt to sleep on shore • 

 williug to run the risk of being devoured by alligators in order to escape the certainty 

 of it by mosquitoes. 



