102 American Fisheries Society 



quito thrives. No sensible, self respecting Culex or Ano- 

 pheles, would lay her eggs where this mighty little de- 

 stroyer swims. The wiggler is the choicest tid bit of the 

 top minnow and the federal authorities have wisely 

 chosen him as an exterminator, within his range, of this 

 universal pest which is a menace to health and happiness. 



In the U. S. Department of Agriculture Bulletin No. 

 25, Dr. L. 0. Howard says "the most satisfactory ways 

 of fighting mosquitos are those which result in the de- 

 struction of larvae or the abolition of their breeding 

 places. The three main preventive measures are the 

 draining of breeding places, the introduction of small 

 fish into Ashless breeding places and the treatment of 

 such pools with kerosene." Of the three methods sug- 

 gested by Dr. Howard, let me recommend the top min- 

 now, or similar fish, because it is always on the job and 

 it is so easy to put on spraying with kerosene until pain- 

 fully reminded that it is too late. 



At the Cold Spring, Georgia, Station of the U. S. Bu- 

 reau of Fisheries, this top minnow is propagated, or 

 rather progagates itself, in the sunfish ponds. These 

 ponds, six in number, covering an area of several acres, 

 are located four miles from the home station and are ad- 

 mirably situated for the convenience of mosquitoes. Yet 

 the custodian of this station reports that during the en- 

 tire summer he was never bothered with mosquitoes 

 while working about these ponds. I am sorry I can not 

 say as much for the home station. Here some 200 wild, 

 adult large mouth bass were introduced into the breed- 

 ing ponds the past spring and, as they were not used to 

 being fed, refused the chopped mullet thrown to them 

 and promptly devoured the top minnows that heretofore 

 had been quite plentiful. The result was a multiplication 

 of mosquitoes. 



Gambusia affinis was not native to the waters in the 

 vicinity of the Cold Spring Station prior to about 1906. 

 In that year, under the direction of a former superintend- 

 ent, Mr. J. J. Stranahan, one can of about 200 top min- 

 nows was brought to the station from a lake near Colum- 



