1 7 2 Mosquitoes 



days. They propagate in clear ditches or puddles. I 

 never found them in foul water. I have taken them 

 abundantly, the last week in March, in pools formed 

 in the ditches along the park roads in Washing- 

 ton, D. C, the snow still lingering in the woods. 

 They breed in the marshy ground between the canal 

 and the Potomac, in the rock pools, in springs, and 

 in the grassy edges of the lily-and-flag-grown fish 

 ponds. Dr. Smith says they like quiet side pools of 

 streams. I have discovered the larvae out-of-doors 

 in Washington as late as December. They hiber- 

 nate either as adults or as larvae, probably as the 

 former. 



Grabhamia discolor.— This rather small, mottled 

 mosquito is taken from New York to Texas. In the 

 north it appears to be rare, as well as in the south 

 except from June 26 to July 17, when we found it 

 near the ponds which were the breeding places. 

 Larvae were taken as late as October 24. Twenty- 

 four hours after emergence the insect requires no 

 coaxing to induce it to partake of a meal. She 

 settles down to business at once, gorging herself al- 

 most to the bursting point, which performance she 

 will probably repeat in twenty-four hours. She will 

 bite once or twice. The eggs are single, one or two 

 batches, laid from four to seven days after the first 

 meal, and hatching in about eight days. The larval 

 stage lasts ten days, the pupal one day. The life of 

 the adult is from seven to fifteen days. The larvae 

 remain at the bottom of the vessel, not caring to 

 come to the surface. They lie on their backs, with 

 thorax and tube touching the bottom, and move 



