216 



iSeriecio : The Groundsels or Ragweeds belong to this genus, 

 probably the largest of all the genera found in the vegetable 

 kingdom. Here we meet with the groundsel (,S. viihjaris) whose 

 seed constitutes no inconsiderable px'oportion of the food on which 

 canaries in England ai'e supported in confinement. Many of the 

 species are ornamental and are gi'own as such. <S'. f/rnndifu/ius 

 (S. Ghu'i^hreghtii) a Mexican species, for instance, assumes a 

 shrubby habit, has large leaves, and big bunches, or corymbs of 

 flowers. In Trinidad we have at least two species, S. f^ivartzii, 

 D.C., and S. lucidus, D.C., but the latter species only is recorded 

 as a Ti-inidad plant l:)y Grisebach. 



With these brief remarks on a few of the Trinidad 

 Composita?, I close what perhaps has been to you a very dry and 

 uninteresting subject ; I trust not so dry, however, but that 

 you have been interested at the result of my attempt on the 

 Compositfe ; and that on a future occasion some member of the 

 T.F.N. Club will contribute a paper exclusively on the medicinal 

 Trinidad plants of this vast order. 



W. E. Bho.adway. 

 1st March, 1893. 



MOSQUITOES. 



Introduction. 



Flies and mosquitoes are two woi'ds full of meaning for all 

 of us, f(jr with them are connected certain uncomfortable asso- 

 ciations. They remind us of the obstinate house Hies, which spot 

 and stain everything about our dwellings and get into the butter, 

 the tea and the cream ; and the blood-thii'sty mosquitoes which 

 have caused us so many sleepless nights. Nevertheless I hope 

 you will not object to taking a j^eep into the life histor}'' of the 

 latter for a few minutes, and see how they live and what means 

 we have of getting i-id of them. 



The Mosquito belongs to the order oiDiptera, the insectsof which 

 are easil}'^ recognized by their having a single pair of wings, and are 

 of the family of CuHcida'. which is distinguishable from the rest 

 of the fly families by long and slender mouth parts, long legs 

 and antennjie. In Europe members of this family are called gnats 

 and in the tropics mosquitoes, which means little fly being derived 

 from the Spanish language. The males can easily be distinguished 

 from the females by their plumose antenna?, or feelers, and more 

 sleiider body. Of the anatomy of the mosquito I suppose Mr. R. 

 McLachlan's description of the mouth pai'ts in the " Encyclopedia 



