212 AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 



most abundant. I have never found this species breeding else- 

 where than on the marsh or at its very borders, in the salt hay 

 zone along shore which cannot exactly be called marsh. It is 

 always a shore or marsh mosquito and every little hole on the 

 marsh may breed it. A week is all that is necessary to bring the 

 larva tO' maturity, and the pupal stage is short or long, accord- 

 ing to temperature. 



At Anglesea young larv?e were taken by Mr. Dickerson as 

 early as March 5th, though development at that period is slow. 

 March 12th larvje were more abundant and evidently developing 

 generally. At that time Mr. Dickerson tested the temperature of 

 the water in which larvse occurred and found that it ranged from 

 42 deg-rees to 50 degrees Fahrenheit. At this temperature micro- 

 scopic life multiplies slowly and the wriggler food supply is 

 limited; therefore this first brood of larvse dawdles along for a 

 month before adults are ready to emerge. Breeding continues 

 until early October; but after that few eggs remain to- be devel- 

 oped, except for the spring following. If the wriggler succeeds 

 in reaching the pupal stage before a pool dries up it is usually 

 safe, for the pupa will live twenty-four hours in soft mud and 

 develop as an adult ; indeed not more than twelve hours .is really 

 needed, because I have had mosquitoes emerge within that period. 

 Larvse more than half grown will survive in soft mud a few 

 hours, and if the pool is then refilled by rain or tide will revive 

 and complete their transformations. 



The general character of the breeding places has been already 

 described and need not be more specifically referred to here. 



In its actions or method of feeding the lai"va offers nothing 

 out of the usual course, and it is readily subject to the effect of 

 oils and other coverings. As a rule the water it inhabits is toler- 

 ably clean, but it is able to sustain itself in quite foul and fer- 

 menting pools. 



CULEX PERTURBANS, WEK. 



The Irritating Mosquito. 



This is another large species, with tarsi broadly white banded 

 at base of joints and a ring of same color in center of first joint. 

 Beak white-ringed in center and abdomen with indistinct, narrow 

 bands of white at base of segments. The general brown color 

 and large size, together with the exceptionally broad bands of 

 the legs, makes it very conspicuous and easily recognizable. 



