92 MOSQUITO REDUCTION 



That night and all the next day she slept and 

 digested her meal. In the evening she felt hungry 

 again, but it was early and the child had not returned. 

 Therefore she flew out of the open window and 

 distended herself from the black skin of a native who 

 was sleeping in the backyard ; his ankles supplied 

 her wants readily. The next night the baby in the 

 cot satisfied her through his mosquito net, which was 

 badly tucked in under the mattress ; and again she 

 noticed the absence of her brethren, but noted that 

 the numbers of her sisters on the net had increased 

 somebody had opened the cesspool and they had 

 flown out in search of blood. Four nights later she 

 had her revenge on the sleeper in the front room, for 

 he was tossing about in the semi-delirium of fever. 

 She gorged herself, and was satisfied enough to sleep 

 for hours after. She rested every day and fed every 

 night until she had made the acquaintance of every 

 member of the household, including all the servants. 

 She even knew the geography of the house and the 

 taste of the water on all the washhand-stands. But 

 for the occasional bats, lizards, spiders, and a bird in 

 the garden, her life was a peaceful one. However, as 

 she grew older she learned to avoid such enemies by 

 hiding, and she knew exactly how to get under the 

 bed when a sleeper woke and tried to squash her 

 distended body. 



As time progressed the eggs within her developed, 

 and she felt the weight of pregnancy bearing upon 

 her. Her meals of blood had been regular and fre- 

 quent, and she was ready to lay her first brood within 



