MOSQUITOES IN GENERAL 39 



Abundance of Mosquitoes. 



In modern times everyone who likes out-door life, espe- 

 ciall}^ men interested in hunting- and fishing-, is able to tell 

 mosquito stories Avhich rival the somewhat rare instances 

 which come down to us from ancient times. I have heard 

 sportsmen, in fact, vie with each other in describing the 

 abundance of mosquitoes in certain localities, but, familiar 

 with the tendency of hunters and fishermen to indulg-e in 

 the rhetorical fig-ure known as hyperbole, as evidenced in 

 the general acceptance of a specific meaning as applied in 

 the expression " a fish story," or the adjective " fishy," one 

 is warranted in a certain measure of disljelief. It is un- 

 doubtedly true, however, that certain localities in this 

 country are almost uninhabitable because of the great 

 numbers of mosquitoes found there, many otherwise 

 desirable neighborhoods do not improve for this reason, 

 and some regions are absolutely unsettled on this ac- 

 count. Professor E. AV. Hilgard, of the University of Cali- 

 fornia, has written me that up in northern Washing-ton, 

 in the pine forests north of Spokane, the gray mos- 

 quito, or Culex, seems to be the sole possessor of the land, 

 and is a fearful nuisance, as in arctic regions. The first 

 thing- on going- into camp is to establish a close line of 

 smudges above the wind, so as to enable the pack animals 

 and the men to eat in comparative peace, but about mid- 

 night the entire swarm is back again. He states that 

 there are scattered hikes in that region where they breed, 

 but they must migrate considerable distances. He further 



