218 



THE VICTOEIAX NATURALIST. [Vol. XXIII. 



she has poison, which apparently serves no useful pur- 

 pose, is a puzzle. 



On the side of the first maxillge are the maxillary palps, 

 feeler-like processes. These are probably of very little 

 use to the mosquito, but are of great use to us. In the 

 female mosquito {Culex) these palps are very short, so she- 

 may be recognised at once. In the male Culex they are 

 very long, longer than the beak. The feelers are also 

 very hairy in the male, so that he can be recognised by the 

 naked eye with ease. He is about the same size as the 

 female, but is a harmless vegetarian. He has no saws- 

 and no sucking throat. His mouth parts are also poorly 

 developed when compared with those of the female. 



The life-history was described in detail. It is one of 

 the most fascinating and man-ellous of all life-histories^ 

 for at every stage the animal takes advantage of the won- 

 derful top of the water — a thing we, as yet, know com- 

 paratively little about. The mosquito makes full use of 

 it at all stages. At the same time, though, it proves a 

 source of great danger to her, for, should she get her toes 

 wet, it will hold her fast prisoner and drown her. 



Larvae and pupse were shown alive by means of inspec- 

 tion troughs placed in the lantern. These excited great 

 interest by their active movements. 



The malarial mosquito, formerly recorded as being ab- 

 sent from Victoria, was illustrated by lantern photos, of 

 the Melbourne Anopheles (male and female) by Mrs. Stone. 

 It is easily recognised, for, while the common mosquito- 

 rests with its body parallel to the surface it is resting on, 

 and its back hunched, with the mouth parts at right 

 angles to the body, the Anopheles keeps mouth parts, 

 head, thorax, and abdomen all in the one line, so that it 

 stands on its head approximately at right angles to the 

 surface it rests on. 



While the Culex has gauzy wings, the Anopheles has 

 white and black splots along the front edge of each wing. 

 Thus it somewhat resembles the large feathers of a lyre- 

 bird's tail. Again, the maxillary palps are about the 

 same length in each sex as the proboscis. The male may 

 be distinguished from the female Anopheles, as he is very 

 hairy. He has been called the whiskered male, the 

 feelers having whorls of long hairs at each point. 



By means of the inspection troughs and the lantern, 

 kerosene was shown to be an efficient agent in killing the 

 larvse and pupae, so that any one troubled by mosquitoes 

 can quickly reduce the pest by " pouring oil on the (stand- 

 ing) waters." 



