110 MORE MINOR HORRORS 



the interruption is only a suspense, and living 

 activities are resumed should the temperature 

 rise again. 



It is a disputed point whether these mos- 

 quitos must have a meal of blood before they 

 can lay eggs, and on this point the evidence is 

 not yet sufficient to make a dogmatic state- 

 ment. These mosquitos are very indifferent 

 where their eggs are laid. The smallest collec- 

 tion of water in an empty sardine-tin, a broken 

 tumbler, a puddle in the street, a gutter-pipe, 

 is good enough for Stegomyia calopus. She will 

 even lay her eggs on moist cotton-wool. 



Although Stegomyia bites freely during 

 the day-time, it, as a rule, avoids the light 

 and seeks some dark shelter. Contrary to the 

 habits of Anopheles, it prefers a light ground 

 to rest upon. The larvae live on algae, 

 vegetable-matter, or plant-detritus, or, in 

 captivity, on white bread or Indian corn. 

 They can remain for a considerable time 

 without food, and this without materially 

 diminishing the rate of their development. 

 Stegomyia breeds well in ships, and is occasion- 

 ally found in one part only of the ship — such 

 as the engine-room or cook's galley, where 

 the conditions seem to be most favourable 

 to its development. Thus it comes about that 

 at times certain quarters of a ship provide the 

 greatest percentage of yellow-fever cases. 



