DIPTERA. 197 



a little patient watching will reveal some of them turning 

 into adults. The cast-off pupal skin may float on the 

 water surface while the soft-bodied mosquito is sunning 

 itself on some grass stem or bit of a leaf; or the young 

 mosquito may sail on the tiny raft of its old pupal skin, 



FIG. 83. Anopheles punctipennu. Female, with male antenna at right and 

 wing tip showing venation at left enlarged. (Howard.) 



while the wings are drying, its body wall hardening, and 

 while it is taking the first draughts of air without water. 

 Mosquitoes have wings sparsely covered with scales, 

 and in the genus Anopheles these scales are so arranged 

 as to give an alternately light and dark appearance to the 

 wings. (Fig. 83.) In Culex the wings are clear. Again 



