234 P'LASH LIGHTS ON Xatire 



them members of the genus Ciilex. The one point 

 of similarity between the wliole lot lies in the fact 

 that they all suck b.oocl ; whenever a blood-sucking 

 culex is lighted upon in Enghuxl it is called a 

 gnat ; while whenever one is found in any otiier 

 part of Europe, Asia, Africa, or America, we say 

 it is a n^.osquito. That is just a piece of the well- 

 known British arrogance ; they will not admit that 

 there are such venomous beasts as mosquitoes in 

 England, and therefore, when found, they call 

 them by another name, and fancy they have got 

 rid of them. As a matter of fact, nu^squitoes of 

 one sort oi' another occur in most countries, if not 

 in all the world ; they are mo^t numerous, i^ is 

 true, in the tropics and in warm districts gene- 

 rallv ; but they also abound in Canada, Siberia, 

 Russia, and Lapland. Even in the Arctic regions, 

 they come out in swarms during the short summer ; 

 and wherevei' ponds oi- stagnant waters abound in 

 Finland or Alaska, they bite quite as successfully 

 and industriously while thev last as in Cevlon or 

 Jamaica. At least a hundred and fifty kinds are 

 "known to science," ;ind of these, no fewer than 

 thirty-live occur in Europe. There are nine in 

 Britain. Mo^t of the European species bite quite 

 hard enough to be popularly ranked as m()Squitoes ; 

 the remainder are called by the general and in- 

 definite name of Hies a vague term which covers 

 as large an acreage of evil as charity. 



In hot sununers. you will often read in the 

 papers a loud complaint tiiat " mosquitoes have 

 made their appearance in England," most often in 



