REPORT ON MOSQUITOES. 413 



remains, mosquitoes will be "bad" from time to time in the city. 

 It is the fashion to belie\e that a land breeze brings the mos- 

 quitoes to the shore, and that is true; but they do not come from 

 the mainland, as is believed, because there are breeding places 

 enough nearer by to account for all that occur. 



Within the limits of Atlantic City there are no other breeding 

 places for marsh mosquitoes on the island itself, until the Vent- 

 nor line is almost reached, and there, on the Island Thorough- 

 fare, is a small but rather virulent breeding area which can be 

 readily ditched, drained and made completely safe. Along the 

 line of the railroads extending to the point where the Camden 

 & Atlantic swings to the northwest, there are scattered breeding 

 places between the Great Thoroughfare and Beach Thoroughfare, 

 all of them easily drained into one or the other of these chan- 

 nels. Beyond that, until the mainland is reached, there is only 

 one other small breeding place along the line of the Atlantic City. 

 Railroad. At the edge of the mainland, just south of the West 

 Jersey Railroad to Somers Point, there is rather an ugly and 

 extensive breeding place ; but that is the only one of any account 

 that was found along this mainland from North Pleasantville 

 to Somers Point. 



From Beach Thoroughfare northeast to Wading Thorough- 

 fare, north to Steelmans Thoroughfare and east and northeast 

 to the mainland, no breeding places are found. Atlantic City 

 has no mosquitoes to fear from a north or northwest wind except 

 what breed within her own limits. A northeaster might bring 

 them from Brigantine, concerning which more is said elsewhere, 

 and a w-est wind will carry them in from the marsh land along 

 the railroads. 



Between Lake's Bay, Beach Thoroughfare and Great Thor- 

 oughfare lies a triangular island, all marshland and not much 

 above the ordinaiy tide level. This is full of small pools, most 

 of them containing fish ; but some of them, toward the center, 

 are high enough beyond the reach of ordinary tides to dry out 

 in early summer and become bad breeding places when refilled 

 with rain water. One or two main ditches with a few laterals 

 would cure this readily. 



There is a small point on the south side of Beach Thorough- 

 fare at its junction with the Great Thoroughfare where some 

 mosquitoes breed, but that is insignificant and can be remedied 

 by a few short ditches. 



Adjoining the Ventnor line, north of the Inside Thoroughfare, 

 is an intense breeding area half a mile along the boundary and 

 not quite so far within it, the worst portion around a narrow 

 ridge or island in the marsh. This can be readily drained into 



