STEGOMYIA SURVEY 183 



breeding grounds in 50 per cent, of the houses and 

 yards. The water most favoured by the mosquito for 

 her eggs was the clean water for domestic use stored 

 in the cisterns, barrels, tins, and odd receptacles men- 

 tioned above, and not the water of the pools, ditches, 

 marshes, or crab-holes. This survey proved at once 

 that the insect carriers were everywhere to hand in 

 and around the houses, and that therefore the ideal 

 conditions for the spread of the disease were present. 



As a result I reported upon the absolute necessity 

 of exercising a vigilant supervision over the water 

 supply of the town — that is to say, removing and 

 destroying all odd water receptacles and encouraging 

 the use of proper screened domestic and public cisterns. 



I am glad to say that the work commenced by 

 me in 1905 has borne fruit, for by a report of the 

 United States medical officer, dated March 27, 1907, 

 it is stated that in Belize much is being done to render 

 the town as sanitary as possible. The tanks are care- 

 fully screened, and unscreened water-barrels and other 

 breeding places of stegomyia have been removed from 

 most of the premises. Two sanitary inspectors are 

 constantly employed to examine into and report upon 

 the proper carrying out of the regulations bearing on 

 these points. Then the streets are kept clean, and 

 work is constantly progressing towards eliminating 

 the breeding-places of mosquitos ; mosquitos are not 

 constantly present in great numbers ; and since 

 the screening and cleaning ordinance has been syste- 

 matically carried out, the number of stegomyia has 

 been reduced to a very marked extent. Nor has it 



