MOSQUITOES 



How Long may the Larv?e Live? 



Professor Kellogg- reported an interesting series of ob- 

 servations in tlie Entomological Neics for April, 1899, in 

 which he shows that eggs were laid by a mosquito in his 

 laboratory August 9th. (The eggs, by the way, were laid at 

 4.30 in the afternoon, a novel fact in itself, since it has 

 been supposed that they were only laid after dark, and 

 presumably usually in the dark hours of early morning.) 

 These eggs hatched October 10th, and were kept alive in a 

 jar of water at a temperature of from 50'^ to 75° F. under 

 normal conditions as regards light. They grew in size 

 very slowly and one after another died. But the sole 

 survivor lived until February 16th, when it died at the 

 ripe old age of four months and a week. None of them 

 reached the pupal condition. As mentioned above, Pro- 

 fessor Kellogg thinks that their death may have been 

 due to the fact that their mother was a virgin and the 

 slowness of their growth may have been due to lack of 

 proper food and water. 



We have stated above that mosquitoes hibernate in the 

 adult condition. That has been a matter of common obser- 

 vation and has been a generally accepted fact. I have 

 always supposed it to be the only mode of hibernation, 

 but an observation by Mr. J. Turner Brakeley, of Hor- 

 nerstown, N. J., made during the past winter, indicates 

 that they maj^ occasionally pass the winter in the larval 

 condition. Dr. John B. Smith wrote me, under date of 

 January 30, 1901, that Mr. Brakeley went out into the 



