34 MOSQUITOES 



that any such condition of affairs can exist. In such 

 cases as that described by the Calif ornian, the mosquitoes 

 are naturally attracted by the moist air. They search for 

 breeding-places, and are attracted by moisture, however 

 slight ; and then, too, it is well known that they drink 

 water, and while the drops on the grass-blades will not 

 induce them to lay eggs, they can readily fill their stom- 

 achs in the absence of the more highly nutritive liquid 

 known as human blood. Some men drink water instead 

 of beer, but it is a sad fact that no mosquito is ever known 

 to drink water when she can get blood. In the California 

 case, the humidity of the air around the sprinkled lawn 

 pleased the mosquitoes better than the dry air of the 

 vacant lots, and in the face of the multifarious and unob- 

 served opportunities for the collection of small quantities 

 of water, many of which w^e have just indicated, there will 

 always be found some explanation for mosquito abun- 

 dance, other than that they will breed in wet grass. There 

 is this to be said, however, as has been pointed out more 

 fully in another paragraph, that in dry seasons mosqui- 

 toes will live until the rains come, and this is especially 

 true of pregnant females. Nature cares for the perpetua- 

 tion of the species, and in some way provides for the ex- 

 istence of individuals until the perpetuation of the spe- 

 cies is assured. 



Food of Adult Mosquitoes. 



With little doubt it is only the females of mosquitoes 

 which draw blood, and with as little doubt female mosqui- 

 toes are normally plant-feeders. When we consider the 



