29 



Virginia in pools and small streams fed from coal-mine drainage, the 

 water of which contains a large percentage of sulphate of iron. 



Culex imj)iger has been found by Mr. Pratt, of this office, breeding 

 in privy vaults in Alexandria, Va., and this species is likely to be the 

 one found usually in such places where the water is fouled with decom- 

 posing or excreted animal matter. 



Culex taeiuatus is said by Dr. Veazie, of New Orleans, to be the 

 so-called "day mosquito" of New Orleans; that is, the form which 

 flies and bites in the daytime. This statement is corroborated to a 

 certain extent by Dr. St. George Gray, of St. Lucia, British West 

 Indies, who writes, under date of August 12 last: 



I have made some observations on the hours at which the different species are 

 most industrious, and find that most mosquitoes have regular feeding times. For 

 instance, C. tieniatus is very vigorous and troublesome in the early afternoon (between 

 noon and 3 p. m). Then she usually takes a rest, and renews her attacks at 9 or 

 10 p. m. During the morning it can be found resting on walls and clothing, particu- 

 larly dark-colored clothing, and is easily caught. 



The dlstrihution of the species of Culex in the United S^tates. — In 

 preparing Bulletin No. -i the writer was at pains to borrow all of the 

 mosquitoes from the collections of such entomologists as he supposed 

 had saved specimens in this family and placed them in the hands of 

 Mr. Coquillett for study. The material received was not large, since 

 mosquitoes are difficult to preserve satisfactorih' in a collection, and it is 

 an inexplicable fact that as a rule collectors do not save such extremely 

 connnon things as mosquitoes. Yet he was able from Mr. Coquillett's 

 work on the specimens received and on those already contained in the 

 national collection at Washington to show several interesting points. 

 As is the case with many other species of Diptera, most of the differ- 

 ent forms were found to be very widespread. The whole group has 

 little or no faunistic value; that is to say, different climatic conditions 

 and other environmental factors do not limit the range of the species 

 as they do with those of other groups. It was thus found that some 

 of the commoner forms, like C. consohrtnus, C. excitans, C. pertur'hans, 

 and C. posticatus, and C. pmngens, were found almost all over the 

 country, from New England to Texas and even to southern California, 

 so that in ahnost any given locality in the United States one would be 

 able to find all of these common species of Culex, with two or three 

 species of other genera and possibly two or three other species of 

 Culex. Since the i^ublication of the bulletin (No, 4), other localities 

 of distribution have been ascertained, and the following list indicates 

 such actual localities as have come to our notice. Persons interested 

 will observe several points worth noticing in the list which follows. 

 Certain species seem to be rare, while others are verj^ common, in 

 addition to being widesprtnid. It seems from the list that Culex con- 

 sohrinus is a more northern form; that is, it comes nearer being 

 restricted to a boreal habitat than any of the other species. It is one 



