250 AGRICULTURAL EXPEI^IMENT STATION. 



The abdomen in the female is dark brown, with the band at 

 the base of the segments constricted in the center and toward the 

 sides, where it joins the lateral markings, which extend upward 

 from the venter, so as to appear as two lunules placed side by- 

 side. The penultimate segment has in addition to the basal band 

 a narrow apical one, slightly prolonged forward in the middle; 

 the last segment with a small apical band only. In the male the 

 banding is similar, but the bands are almost or wholly divided 

 in the center and join the side markings without the lateral con- 

 strictions. Beneath the abdomen is creamy white, with incom- 

 plete brown apical bands. 



Habits of the Adult. 



This is one of the species that deHghts in porches and gardens 

 and does its share toward the end of the season in making life 

 miserable. It gets indoors quite readily, but makes no especial 

 effort to do so ; i. e., it wall get through an open door or window, 

 but will not attempt to crawl through screens or work through 

 crevices. It bites readily, but not very viciously, the results being 

 on the whole less painful than from either pipiens or the salt 

 marsh species. In appearance it is a small black mosquito, with 

 narrowly white-banded legs and banded abdomen. The char- 

 acter of the abdominal bands, being- constricted and almost 

 divided in the middle, forms one of the most certain means of 

 recognizing- the species. There is considerable variation in size, 

 but on the whole it looks smaller and chunkier than either 

 pipiens, cantator or sollicitans. When rubbed, a large speci- 

 men is sometimes very like cantator in appearance. 



It occurs throughout the State and throughout the season, 

 though early in the year it is found only in small numbers, and 

 is rarely troublesome in towns or about houses. Later, m 

 August and early September, it is often the dominant species, 

 even close to or at the shore. Mr. Viereck reports it as one of the 

 troublesome species on porches at Cape May, and further in- 

 land it replaces the salt marsh forms as an extra-territorial 

 species. Although not a migrant like sollicitans or cantator, 

 nevertheless sylvestris is not a strictly local pest and often 

 appears a considerable distance from any known or possible 

 breeding place. A mile or two is an easy proposition for the 

 species and five miles is not outside of its possibilities. It 

 seems, however, to move as an individual rather than in con- 

 siderable bodies and the increase in numbers is gradual ; there 

 is no sudden appearance of a swarm overnight. So the disap- 



