12 



Life history of mosquitoes in (/eneral. — In general terms the biolog}" 

 of tlie C'ulicida' — th(^ family to which the true mosquitoes belong — 

 may briefly be summed up. All general statements heretofore have 

 been based upon the life history of one or two species of the genus 

 Culex, yet it is certain that such remarks will nt)t only not hold for 

 the whole family, but that, except in a general way, they will not hold 

 for all the species of Culex. So far as is definitely known, the larvte 

 of all mosquitoes are aquatic, although they are true air breathers: 

 that is to sa}' , they must come to the surface of the water to breathe. 

 They arc*, rapid breeders and pass the pupal condition also in water, 

 but floating normally at the surface. The}^ pass through several gen- 

 erations in the course of a year and hibernate as adults. Hibernating 

 mosquitoes may frequently be found during the winter months in 

 barns and in the cellars and cold garrets of houses. Dr. W. S. 

 Thayer, of Baltimore, informs the writer that he found Anoplieles 

 crucian.H and A. quadrvmaculatus hibernating in enormous numbers in 

 barns near New Orleans, clustering under the roofs and on the walls. 

 In the extreme Southern States many mosquitoes are active all through 

 the winter, and mosquito bars are almost as necessary at Christmas 

 time as during the summer. 



Food of adult riiosquitoes. — It is a well-known fact that the adult 

 male mosquito does not necessarily take nourishment and that the 

 adult female does not necessarily rely on the blood of warm-blooded 

 animals. The mouth parts of the male are so different from those of 

 the female that it is probable that if it feeds at all it obtains its 

 food in a quite different manner from th<^ female. They are often 

 observed sipping at drops of water, and in one instance a fondness 

 for molasses has been recorded. 



The writer has already placed on record the instance in which his 

 colleague, Mr. E. A. Schwarz, observed a male mosquito sipping beer, 

 but the most interesting instance of alcoholism of the male luosquito 

 which has come to his notice was described in a letter received last 

 spring from Dr. St. George Grav, of Castries, St. Lucia, British 

 West Indies. Dr. Gray wrote: 



"The males, especially C jjipienis, are very fond of wine, and almost every day I 

 can catch one or two — always males — on the neck of the decanter or in a wineglass 

 that has just been used. I put a few mosquitoes under a bell jar one day in order to 

 watch them. I put a single drop of jiort wine under the jar, as I had heard that 

 mosquitoes could be kept alive for a long time on wine. When I went to look at 

 them a few hours later I found them all apparently dead, so I put them in a dry 

 bottle, intending to pin them later. Wlien I went to pin them shortly afterwards 

 they were all staggering about in the most ridiculous manner — they were drunk!" 



The female mosquitoes are normally without uuich doubt plant 

 feeders. Why they should draw blood at all is a question which has 

 not been solved. It has been surmised that a supply of highly nutri- 



