REPORT OX MOSQUITOES. 301 



portunity for closer observation came June 21st about 7 A. M., 

 when an aurifcr alighted on Mr. Brakeley's left hand. I give the 

 substance of his notes made at the time : She punctured the skin, 

 got down to blood and was happ}-. Took the little tweezers and 

 began to tease her. She kicked, shook her head, was annoyed, 

 and after five to ten seconds she let go. having only a small quan- 

 tity of blood. Got on another place and made a second puncture 

 undisturbed, but as soon as she began to feed the teasing recom- 

 menced. She "kicked like a mule," and was dislodged with diffi- 

 culty, returning- to the attack in a third place. She was again 

 allowed to pierce the skin though this seemed more difficult and 

 was again irritated until she let go. Nevertheless she returned to 

 the attack and in a different place made a fourth puncture. This 

 time the mouth structures were "wobbly," and there was difficulty 

 in making the puncture, but she succeeded and was allowed to, 

 become about three-fourths full. Then the teasing began again 

 and, although she hung on tenaciouslv she was again dislodged. 

 Apparently her appetite was unsatisfied, for she made yet another 

 attempt to bite. But. though she was undisturbed and was al- 

 lowed to try as she would, she failed in making tlie fifth punc- 

 ture and flew reluctantly away. 



The earliest date for adult aurifcr is April 23d, the latest for 

 larv?e is May loth, from which the adult was bred May 13th. 

 Adults were taken as late as ]\.\\\ 24th. yet blood-thirsty, and 

 occurred in considerable swarms during the last days of June. 

 This would indicate an adult life period of nearly three months — 

 much longer than we have been inclined to- credit them with. It 

 seems scarcelv possible that a summer brood of lan'se could have 

 been overlooked, since Mr. Brakeley collected continuously 

 througli June, and the Orange ^fountains and Great Piece mead- 

 ows were looked over again and again during the entire season. 



The dates abo\'e given are all from Lahaway, so that no ob- 

 jection can be made that the extremes are from different climatic 

 conditions. That the matter was held in mind, Mr. Brakeley's 

 notes of June 25, 1903, show clearly. He made a trip into aurifcr 

 territoi*}', ran into a swarm and "the \\hole shooting match made 

 a di\'e for me, prompted b}- a thirst from end tO' end ; bill first and 

 legs last.'" So thirsty were they and so much in a hurry that they 

 did not e\'en stop to sing, and so eager in sucking that there \\as 

 no trouble in bottling the specimens that had gotten a hold. All 

 the pools nearby were examined closely, but no larvie, pup;e or 

 signs of recent development were observed. The places w^here 

 the larvse had been found early in the season were then dry. 



Previous to that, on May 29th. while one of the reservoirs was 



