458 AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 



number of bad breeding places. Between Fishing Creek and Jacob's there 

 are a great many salt holes, so that it is difficult to walk without stepping 

 into one and sinking to the knee. The grass is long and covers the top 

 of some of these holes. The sod is thick, but the under soil is soft. Vial 

 No. 5 was taken at place marked (5). The places marked with red ink 

 indicate the territory on which we tramped and found breeding places. 

 While the entire territory could not be tramped in the short space of one 

 month, nevertheless, the landings were numerous enough and the tramping 

 sufficient to get a very good knowledge of the entire territory. The bay shore 

 continues sandy at the water's edge and marshy from point close to shore 

 toward the interior to Stow creek. Stow creek has stiff or hard mud sides, 

 with thick sod growth on marsh on either side. In this creek the difference 

 of high and low tide level is about three feet, and in all the creeks of sim- 

 ilar size, as Mad Horse, Hope and Alloways, the same difference holds. This 

 affords excellent drainage and a possibility for complete draining of stag- 

 nant places on the mat sh. Vial No. 6 was taken from places above Phil- 

 lip's creek as indicated. The sod on the marsh is heavy and the under 

 soil soft. Territory had large number of adults — great number of breeding 

 holes. This had most abundant supply of larvae yet found. Only the 

 deeper pools had water. The shallower places were dry, or not more than 

 damp. Grass is cut for hay on this part of the marsh. The small, narrow 

 creeks, or natural ditches, hold steep, slant sides and adjacent territory 

 to them is safely drained. The marsh above Philip's creek is called " Three- 

 Mile Marsh." 



Sunday, June 26th. — Bay shore continues sandy and marsh begins a short 

 distance inland. Muddy Creek can be entered by boat drawing three and 

 one-half feet of water only at high tide. For one-quarter of a mile back 

 from shore the marsh is hard. Beyond that there are sink-holes, bogs, musk- 

 rat runs and bare mud .spots. There are large and small pools, in which 

 there are fish. The sink holes are breeding places and might be well made 

 safe by ditching or connecting with larger pools. The sod is heavy, but 

 marsh soft and under soil soft. The reed grass along creeks get taller 

 the further we go up shore. The character of the shore continues as before 

 to Deep creek. Most of the pools (small) are dry and mud-cracked. 

 Larger pools have water and fish. No larvae found, but many adults. Only 

 sollicitans were observed. The marsh is firm, with good, deep sod and 

 clayey under soil. The character of the shore continues uniform to Mad 

 Horse creek. The water in these creeks, as far as the exploration was 

 carried, is salt at low tide, which is evidence that at high tide salt water is 

 found as far as the marsh extends. A great many small creeks and ditches 

 run into Mad Horse creek. This makes a great part of the neighboring 

 marsh safe. The edges of Mad Horse are safe. They have a thick growth 

 of reed grass and the bank is composed of hard mud. At the place marked 

 (a) there are a great many mud holes, which are breeding places. There 

 are a great manj^ muskrat houses on this marsh. The rat paths were dry, 

 and hence no larv?e were found in them, but I see no reason why these 

 runs should not be breeding places, since the}' are very irregular and uneven. 

 At (b) the grass looked as though it had not been cut for a season. There 

 was much uncut dead grass about. There were a very few breeding places. 

 At (c) there was a widespread growth of reed on the edge of numerous 

 small ditches or creeks. No breeding places were found. At places marked 

 (d), (e), (f) landings were made. At (d) some breeding places were 

 found in salt grass area. Rat holes, runs and houses were also found. The 

 territory has some natural drains and, with the heavy sod and clayey soil, the 

 bad spots might easily be cared for. At (e) there were a number of bad 

 breeding places near the Delaware bay shore, within fifty feet of shore. 

 They were all in one place and close together. At (f) a few breeding 

 spots were found. The sod is uniformly heavy and the soil firm. Vial No. 

 7 was obtained at place marked (d). Only the deeper shaded pools had 

 water — everything else was dry. There was an abundance of shells in the 

 water, as evidence of the full development and flight of the mosquito, and 



