186 



MOSQUITOES. 



hospitality should not in such a case become a general prac- 

 tice, as these insects are apt to take an unfair advantage of 

 their host. The mosquitoes were not slow to utilize these 

 artificial ponds and in a manner that will be shown later. 

 At the same time large numbers of both sexes of these mos- 

 quitoes congregated upon the windows, and many entered 



Fig. 153. — Mosquitoes at home; a, larva; b. pupa; c, adult leaving pupal 

 skin; d, female depositing egg; e, male. Greatly enlarged. After Brehm. 



the houses, as if to indicate to the inhabitants that mos- 

 quito-screens would soon be of some use. The great major- 

 ity of mosquitoes entering houses were females, and but very 

 few males could be detected. Early in May, and through- 

 out the summer, numerous generations of mosquitoes were 

 produced in these barrels and in all stagnant water that 



