REPORT ON MOSQUITOES. 393 



stocked with killies; on the south side no serious breeding, but 

 good slopes were found ; only in a sheltered cove, a fresh water 

 swamp, were larvae found, and these were scarce and belonged to 

 Anopheles. 



Cape May Point is largely safe highland, its breeding places 

 exclusive of the share it has in the Cape Marsh, are limited to 

 depressed city lots from Lake Lily to near the beach directly 

 south. Lake Lily is stocked with fishes, deep, and practically 

 free from Anopheles harbors along the edges; hence free and 

 safe. The lake north of the lighthouse is rather choked up, has 

 edges rank with cat-tails and breeds Anopheles there. The city 

 lots should be graded, because a satisfactory drainage system 

 appears to be impossible'on account of the condition of the Cape 

 Marsh. The only remedy for the lake north of the lighthouse 

 is a drainage system subsequent to the draining of the Cape 

 Marsh. The remaining breeding places for Cape May Point are 

 the salt hay depressions between the railroad and the beach dunes 

 east of the Life Saving Station, which can readily be graded, and 

 part of the Cape Marsh, the greatest part of which belongs to 

 South Cape May. 



South Cape May shares with Cape May Point the Cape Marsh, 

 the area which is responsible for the great numbers of Anopheles 

 crucians and Culex salinarius. The Cape Marsh extends from 

 Cape Island Creek to the bar forming the beach, and from the 

 vicinity of the light house to Cape May City ; the dangerous part 

 however lies between Cape May Point and Seventh Avenue, 

 South Cape May. The Cape Marsh was drained at one time by 

 two creeks, one emptying directly into the ocean in South Cape 

 May and this has been obliterated by storms, i. e., closed up; 

 the other and remaining outlet is Lower Cape Island Creek which 

 empties into the ocean at Cold Spring Inlet. The remaining 

 creek is insufficient, consequently the marsh has become con- 

 gested, cat-tails, sedge and salt hay, matted so as to keep out 

 fishes and standing in water from a few inches to over a foot 

 the greater part of this season. The marsh is the breeder of the 

 permanent water mosquitoes or the species that lay their eggs 

 on the water. Until this marsh is drained, summer evenings in 

 Cape May and neighboring boroughs will be uncomfortable. 

 South Cape May has taken up the matter and is about to build 

 a tide gate, the first step in the solution of the Cape Marsh prob- 

 lem. Once the tide gate which is to be built near Sieventh 

 Avenue is in operation, it will be easy to see just what amount 

 of ditching must be done to complete the cure. This tide gate 

 should be supplemented by a second under Broadway bridge in 

 Cape May. One other danger area exists ; it is the depressed 



