58 MORE MINOR HORRORS 



could escape.' Grassi is doubtful whether 

 the adult males feed at all. He states that 

 he never found any food in their stomach, 

 nor has he ever seen a male feed. But Pro- 

 fessor Nuttall's experiments in Cambridge prove 

 that males were seen repeatedly to feed, and 

 to feed hungrily, on cherries, dried fruits, 

 dates, and bananas.^ 



Fig. 16. — ^View of my arm being sucked by Anopheles 

 maculipennis (female). (From Nuttall and Shipley.) 



As mentioned before, the proboscis of 

 the male is too weak to pierce the human 

 integument, but Howard notes that it will 

 suck up water, molasses, and beer ; and Gray, 

 at Santa Lucia, mentions that in that island 

 Culex had developed a marked fondness for 

 port wine. One particularly favourite food 



^ Owing to the recent restrictions on imported fruit imposed 

 by the Government the food of these beautiful little insects will 

 be further diminished. But what does our Government know or 

 care about insects ? 



