REPORT ON MOSQUITOES. 415 



The entire territory between Lake's Bay, Shelter Bay, Beach 

 Creek and the mainland to Somer's Point is free from breeding 

 places. 



We have here, roughly speaking, between twenty and twenty- 

 five square miles of marsh and water area, and of this not three 

 square miles is breeding territoiy. Furthermore, so far from re- 

 ceiving mosquitoes from the mainland, this Absecon Island sends 

 swarms to it with every south, southeast or east wind. It is an 

 irresistible conclusion that practically the entire mosquito sup- 

 ply during most of the season for the stretch between Longport 

 and the Inlet, is bred within the territory in which the insects are 

 found and that local work will not only serve to give relief to the 

 cities and boroughs mentioned, but will materially lessen the sup- 

 ply that gets to the mainland. 



Many thousands of dollars are annually spent for improve- 

 ments on this strip of territory which contains, perhaps, the most 

 valuable seashore property in the world, and one of the factors 

 that keep down values in Ventnor and South Atlantic City is 

 the mosquito pest. If only a very moderate percentage of the 

 annual expenditure for even a single year could be diverted to 

 mosquito work, the improvement would extend to the practical 

 extermination of the local supply of the salt marsh species. 



I mention the local supply, because there are two possible 

 sources of supply from without the territorial limits. These 

 are, first, Brigantine Beach, whence a steady northeast wind may 

 bring swarms ; and second, the Ocean City strip, whence a 

 southwest wind may bring a supply. Northeast winds, on 

 which mosquitoes fly, are not common during the summer, hence 

 Brigantine is not a serious danger point. Southw^est winds are 

 frequent, and Ocean City, in its present condition, is dangerous 

 in the order of nearness, to the surrounding territory. 



Late in the season, and especially after a long dry spell, it 

 often happens that the marsh mosquito practically disappears and 

 its place is taken by the common house mosquito. I noted that 

 fact during 1903, and for some time failed to discover where 

 such swarms could breed where no surface water was apparent. 

 I noted that in my hotel I could keep the windows open during 

 the night — third floor — with safety, provided I kept the fan- 

 light into the hall closed. I noticed further that the insects were 

 always in the halls and always in the elevators. 



I noticed also in the early morning on the ceiling of a base- 

 ment cafe and restaurant near the beach, thousands of speci- 

 mens and was informed by the porter that they were always there, 

 and got up throughout the house by means of stairways and 



