on Mosquito Extermination. 43 



admitting that salt marsh mosquitoes are long-distance trav- 

 elers their presence is only a matter of chance. The domestic 

 mosquito, as I have said, enters houses to feed ; logically, there- 

 fore, when it wishes to reproduce its kind it seeks the first stag- 

 nant water near the house that it has departed from. The very 

 fact, therefore, that a mosquito has the habit of entering a 

 house is evidence of the fact that it breeds near the house. 



The great battle against mosquitoes that must be taken up 

 will be against the mosquito that breeds locally. The domestic 

 mosquitoes include in their number the malarial mosquitoes. 

 It may be somewhat discouraging to think that the salt marsh 

 mosquitoes may travel considerable distances. I do not think 

 we should feel discouraged at all. If the migratory mosquito 

 does reach a point distant from its breeding place by chance, 

 it is wholly a matter of chance. In fact, out of the 153 days 

 from May ist to October ist, 1903, the wind was from the New- 

 ark Meadows 22 days out of that time (practically one day out of 

 seven). The marsh mosquito, however, reached South Orange 

 only twice during the season. Had the Newark ^Meadows been 

 thoroughly dry we still would have had a prodigious local sup- 

 ply of mosquitoes coincident with the prodigious rainfall. The 

 mosquito is inseparably connected with the weather. The sun 

 can usually be depended upon to dry up the great bulk of the 

 water remaining standing after a rainfall. What the sun does 

 not dry up, man must drain, fill, oil or stock with fish — that is 

 mosquito extermination. In just so far as we do this will we 

 reduce our mosquito supply. It is a little unfortunate for 

 us that we cannot find a better expression than "mosquito ex- 

 termination." Many people believe that by that we mean the 

 "total extinction of mosquitoes." This, while immensely desir- 

 able in itself, is very far removed from our expectations. I have 

 yet to find the town where they never see mosquitoes. But I 

 do know many places where window screens and bed can- 

 opies are never needed. It is in the power of any single town 

 to produce that result at a cost within reason. 



I will not say more than to draw attention to a circular 

 (Appendix B, pages 78-81) which has just been issued by the 

 Village Improvement Society of South Orange. This will be 

 distributed at the beginning of the season there. We are now 

 entering upon the fourth year of our campaign, and I am 

 pleased to say that the subscriptions are coming in as readily 



