THE MOSQUITO 77 



and indeed they serve the same purpose, 

 for they are composed of air-cells, and their 

 function is to keep the boat-shaped eggs 

 right side upward. Soon after the egg has 

 been laid it is of a greyish-black colour, but 

 after a certain amount of attrition an outer 

 membrane splits off — the membrane which has 

 given the egg its reticulated appearance. This 

 membrane scales off in fragments, and i? of a 

 grey colour. The egg beneath it is glistening 

 black — as shiny and as black as patent leather. 



One curious fact that Professor Nuttall 

 and I noticed in the life-history of the egg 

 is that when it is drawn by capillary forces 

 a little way out of the water on to the leaf 

 of a water - plant or some other half - sub- 

 merged object, the blunt end always points 

 downwards. Now the blunt end is the head 

 end, and thus, should hatching take place 

 whilst the egg is suspended half in the water 

 and half in the air, the larva will emerge 

 into its proper element and not into the 

 atmosphere. 



Like other objects floating on the surface, 

 the mosquito-egg slightly indents the surface. 

 The number of eggs seems to vary. According 

 to Grassi, each female deposits about one 

 hundred eggs, whilst Howard puts the number 

 as varying from forty to one hundred. 

 We, however, found in captivity the female 



