82 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [Mar., '04 



summer of 1903, I noted scores of large larvae in a roadside 

 pool near Starkville, Miss. At first sight they appeared to be 

 the larvae of Anopheles, for, apparently, they were in horizontal 

 positions. Never having seen Anopheles larvae so abundant, it 

 seemed worth while to stop and examine them in some detail. 

 Much to my astonishment these larvae were found to be members 

 of the genus Culex, or at least, of some genus closely related to 

 Culex. Moreover, the great majority of them were lying ap- 

 parently horizontal just below the surface film of water. Of 

 these, many adults, both males and females, were reared and 

 they proved to be G.jamaicensis. From this time forth many 

 larvae of this species were found in other rain water pools and 

 abundant opportunity was afforded to observe them. With 

 the one exception of those found in the sewage ditch, I have 

 always found these larvae in transient rain water pools. 



The larvae are interesting from the position they assume in 

 the water. When the larva rises to the surface it assumes, at 

 first, about the same position as the larva of Culex. But after 

 a moment, if left undisturbed, the body, with a slight jerk, 

 floats quickly to an approximately horizontal position with the 

 head on a level with the surface of the water, in which position 

 the mouth brushes are able to skim the surface, as it were. 

 The larva can change quickly and easily from the horizontal to 

 the suspended position. The body instead of lying so nearly 

 horizontal as does that of Anopheles, hangs suspended, — like a 

 piece of slack rope, — between the head and respiratory tube, 

 and considerably below the surface of the water. The respi- 

 ratory tube projects out of the water, at least a third of its 

 length, and points forward when the larva assumes the hori- 

 zontal position. The thorax is inclined sharply upward so as 

 to bring the head to a horizontal position. Figure I, n, is 

 purely diagram atic but serves to show the position of the 

 larva. At the distance of a few feet, when looking directly 

 down upon the larvae, they seem to lie in the same position as 

 those of Anopheles. The larvae are splendid swimmers and are 

 constantly swimming along the surface but nearly always in a 

 backward direction. 



The anal filaments are much longer and slenderer than those 



