﻿PROCEEDINGS 
  OF 
  THE 
  FOItrtII 
  ENT0]S[0L0GICAL 
  AIEETING 
  277 
  

  

  At 
  Pusa 
  tliere 
  are 
  about 
  half-a-dozen 
  Culicoides 
  species 
  of 
  which 
  

   one 
  has 
  been 
  found 
  to 
  breed 
  in 
  the 
  river 
  Gandak. 
  The 
  flies 
  of 
  this 
  

   species 
  are 
  occasionally 
  seen 
  to 
  inflict 
  their 
  bite 
  upon 
  man 
  and 
  animals. 
  

   One 
  species 
  has 
  been 
  found 
  breeding 
  in 
  the 
  hollows 
  of 
  trees 
  along 
  with 
  

   Stegomyia 
  alhopicta, 
  while 
  C. 
  patfoni 
  and 
  one 
  other 
  small 
  species 
  have 
  

   been 
  found 
  to 
  breed 
  in 
  the 
  algae 
  growing 
  in 
  water 
  collected 
  near 
  the 
  

   cattle 
  shed 
  or 
  water 
  impregnated 
  with 
  the 
  saliva 
  of 
  cattle. 
  They 
  are 
  

   absent 
  in 
  the 
  algse 
  grown 
  in 
  water 
  situated 
  near 
  human 
  habitations. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  compound 
  of 
  the 
  Dak 
  Bungalow 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  well 
  and 
  a 
  small 
  

   stable 
  close 
  to 
  it. 
  C. 
  oxystoma, 
  C. 
  paltoni 
  and 
  other 
  species 
  have 
  always 
  

   been 
  seen 
  inside 
  the 
  stable 
  so 
  long 
  as 
  horses 
  are 
  kept 
  there 
  throughout 
  

   the 
  year, 
  but 
  none 
  of 
  these 
  species 
  was 
  found 
  to 
  breed 
  in 
  the 
  water 
  

   near 
  the 
  well 
  used 
  by 
  human 
  beings 
  and 
  where 
  no 
  animal 
  was 
  ever 
  

   watered. 
  In 
  my 
  opinion 
  the 
  selection 
  of 
  hosts 
  by 
  these 
  and 
  several 
  

   other 
  blood-sucking 
  insects 
  is 
  closely 
  associated 
  with 
  the 
  nature 
  of 
  

   materials 
  in 
  which 
  they 
  breed. 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  well 
  known 
  fact 
  that 
  certain 
  

   mosquitos 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  both 
  biting 
  and 
  non-biting 
  muscids 
  which 
  breed 
  

   in 
  the 
  dung 
  of 
  cattle 
  are 
  as 
  a 
  rule 
  confined 
  in 
  their 
  attack 
  to 
  cattle 
  only. 
  

   In 
  the 
  same 
  way 
  Sand 
  Midges 
  breeding 
  in 
  close 
  association 
  with 
  cattle 
  

   will 
  presumably 
  confine 
  their 
  attack 
  to 
  cattle 
  only. 
  At 
  present 
  we 
  are 
  

   in 
  the 
  dark 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  factors 
  that 
  determine 
  the 
  limits 
  of 
  selection 
  of 
  

   hosts 
  in 
  these 
  flies 
  but 
  further 
  work 
  in 
  connection 
  with 
  the 
  relation 
  

   between 
  the 
  larval 
  and 
  adult 
  food 
  will 
  prove 
  of 
  immense 
  value 
  in 
  solving 
  

   the 
  problem 
  of 
  control 
  of 
  these 
  flies. 
  

  

  The 
  life-history 
  of 
  C. 
  oxystoma 
  may 
  be 
  briefly 
  summarized 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  Egg 
  stage 
  from 
  three 
  to 
  eleven 
  days. 
  

  

  Larval 
  stage 
  from 
  two 
  to 
  ten 
  weeks. 
  

  

  Pupal 
  stage 
  from 
  three 
  to 
  seven 
  days. 
  

  

  The 
  length 
  of 
  life 
  of 
  the 
  imago 
  is 
  uncertain, 
  probably 
  at 
  least 
  a 
  month. 
  

   They 
  have 
  been 
  kept 
  alive 
  in 
  confinement 
  for 
  about 
  two 
  weeks 
  during 
  

   which 
  period 
  the 
  fly 
  laid 
  two 
  batches 
  of 
  eggs 
  and 
  took 
  five 
  meals 
  of 
  

   blood. 
  The 
  newly 
  emerged 
  fly 
  was 
  found 
  to 
  survive 
  in 
  the 
  ahsence 
  

   of 
  any 
  food 
  for 
  50 
  to 
  60 
  hours 
  in 
  hot 
  weather 
  and 
  for 
  a 
  period 
  of 
  three 
  

   to 
  four 
  days 
  in 
  the 
  cold 
  season. 
  The 
  period 
  for 
  digestion 
  has 
  been 
  

   found 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  same 
  ; 
  the 
  gorged 
  females, 
  if 
  kept 
  in 
  a 
  dry 
  tube, 
  with 
  

   a 
  piece 
  of 
  dry 
  blotting 
  paper, 
  digesting 
  their 
  food 
  content 
  within 
  two 
  

   days 
  in 
  the 
  hot 
  season. 
  On 
  the 
  third 
  day 
  if 
  not 
  supplied 
  with 
  a 
  little 
  

   moisture 
  they 
  invariably 
  die. 
  Oviposition 
  also 
  takes 
  place 
  after 
  the 
  

   lapse 
  of 
  another 
  two 
  days 
  from 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  supply 
  of 
  moisture. 
  The 
  

   newly 
  hatched 
  fly 
  will 
  bite 
  readily, 
  but 
  preferably 
  on 
  the 
  second 
  day 
  

   of 
  its 
  birth. 
  The 
  fertilized 
  female 
  will 
  bite 
  every 
  third 
  day 
  but 
  unfer- 
  

   tilized 
  flies 
  and 
  flies 
  after 
  oviposition 
  will 
  bite 
  once 
  or 
  twice 
  in 
  a 
  day. 
  

  

  T 
  

  

  