REPORT ON MOSQUITOES. 207 



velopment when they are laid : thus, those fully developed remain 

 entire, while those not so mature, as the ones laid by an injured 

 female, need moisture to develop them further." 



The general statement here made is undoubtedly correct, but 

 it should be added that the records indicate that the eggs laid 

 under such stress as Mr. Viereck indicates are not fertilized, and, 

 therefore, not viable in any event. It should be further noted 

 that the apparent difference between Mr. Viereck and myself 

 concerning the color of the eggs when laid, is open to a very 

 simple explanation. When my observations were made there had 

 been a drought of considerable length, and inviting places for 

 oviposition were few and far between. This had delayed the 

 females in their work of providing for a continuation of their 

 kind; yet development of the ova had gone on within the body 

 and a considerable percentage changed color. This, coupled with 

 the fact that only black eggs were found in the marsh mud, justi-' 

 tied my belief that the eggs became black before being deposited. 

 Mr. Viereck's conclusions undoubtedly state the rule. 



Conclusions from iJic Observations. 



Egg-laying may begin as early as a week after development 

 into the adult condition. This is based upon observations made 

 late in July on specimens of the brood then recently hatched. 

 There are no direct observations as to how long a specimen may 

 live before eg-gs are laid. We have assumed that all the eggs 

 which a specimen of this species is capable of developing mature 

 at one time and the limit in number observed for one female is 

 close to 200. We have no positive experiments to prove that this 

 is so; but examinations made of females that have oviposited 

 showed a rigid thickened abdominal \\3.\\ and an entire absence 

 of ovarian structures. There was simply a hollow shell in which 

 only the digestive system remained and the worn looking speci- 

 mens died readily in confinement. Yet I am assured by Dr. 

 Dupree, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, that sollicitans lays several 

 batches of eggs in that State, and has a much wider rang^e of 

 breeding places than in New Jersey. The statements here made 

 must then be recognized as limited to our own conditions and, so 

 limited. Mr. Viereck's experiments and my observations afford 

 not the slightest evidence that sollicitans at any time lays more 

 than one batch of eggs, not much exceeding 200 in any case. 



No eggs are laid in water or on its surface ; this is an important 

 fact because it eliminates permanent bodies of water as breeders 



