Notes on the Commoner Species 171 



of turning some of them loose in my bed net nights, 

 his last resort when, as sometimes happened, a 

 species could not be induced to take nourishment 

 during the day. He used to victimise himself also, 

 but had an unfortunate habit of smashing them in 

 his sleep and lamenting greatly thereat in the morn- 

 ing. The eggs were deposited in long rafts, easily 

 distinguishable at a glance. They did not have five 

 or six rows curving up at the ends, like other rafts, 

 but were in a double or sometimes partly triple row, 

 and, what is more, the rows were zigzagged (see 

 Plate V. op. page 194). 



Group V. — Breeders in Streams and Ponds 



Culex territans. — This species, so closely related 

 to the three foregoing forms, seems logically to come 

 next in discussion. It is distributed over the greater 

 part of the United States but is not known to bite, 

 which is fortunate, as, though it seldom comes into 

 the house, it is very plentiful locally, not being a 

 migrant. In Baton Rouge the adults were taken 

 out-of-doors between February 29 and May 1, occa- 

 sionally also in the hospital. During the hibernating 

 season we never saw any. The females were often 

 fat, full of a clear, greenish liquid. They refused 

 blood and existed on dry figs for sixty days. The 

 ova are about 240 in number, laid in rafts which 

 hatch in two days and will not resist drying. The 

 larvae hang from the surface film at a wide angle, 

 sailing peacefully about, propelled by the mouth 

 brushes. They much resemble pipiens larvae. The 

 larval life is thirteen days, the pupal two or three 



