692 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XII. Kq. 305. 



the present from various quarters, and collec- 

 tions are still coming in almost every week. 

 The work of identifying and describing the 

 specimens was at first entrusted to Mr. E. E, 

 Austen, thedipterist on the staff of the museum, 

 but later he volunteered for active service in 

 South Africa and joined the City 'Imperial Vol- 

 unteers. Apart from his duties as a soldier Mr. 

 Austen has, we hear, done useful service in his 

 capacity of naturalist in the South African Field 

 Force. There are not many professional dip- 

 terists in this country, and it was therefore 

 fortunate that the director of the museum. Pro- 

 fessor Ray Lankester, was able to obtain the 

 services of Mr. F. V. Theobald, a graduate of 

 the University of Cambridge, who is one of the 

 few men in England who has studied mosqui- 

 toes, to carry on the work in Mr. Austen's 

 absence. Mr. Theobald is now engaged in the 

 preparation of a monograph on mosquitoes, 

 based on the collections at the museum, the 

 printing of which has been sanctioned by the 

 trustees. 



Pending the issue of this catalogue, it has 

 been thought desirable, for the satisfaction of 

 those who have been at the trouble to make the 

 collections, to print a preliminary report of the 

 progress made by Mr. Theobald in identifying 

 the specimens already received. The com- 

 bined collections contain a large number of spe- 

 cies, the majority belonging to the genus 

 Culex. Mr. Theobald at present has completed 

 the genus Anopheles, which has been hopelessly 

 convicted of being the medium by which the 

 malaria parasite is transmitted from person to 

 person. The genus is represented in the mu- 

 seum by 22 species, 10 of which are new to sci- 

 ence. The Anopheles, unlike the comparatively 

 inocuous Culex, does not appear to have a wide 

 distribution in regard to species, although the 

 genus is world-wide. One of the greatest dis- 

 tances between any two localities for the same 

 species is Formosa and the Straits Settlements. 

 A long series sent by Mr. Wray from the Straits 

 Settlements contained 66 Anopheles and 72 

 Culex, the former being remarkable for their 

 great variation both in color and in size ; 

 whereas all the other specimens of the genus 

 received appear very constant in color and 

 markings. Some species of Culex seem to have 



a very wide distribution. Thus one species has 

 been sent from the following widely-separated 

 localities : Japan, Formosa, Hong-kong, Ma- 

 lay Peninsula, India, South and West Africa, 

 North and South America, West Indies and 

 Gibralter. As many of the species are very ob- 

 scure, photographs of the wings and drawings 

 of various parts are being prepared, and com- 

 plete figures of the majority of species will also 

 be given in the proposed monograph. The col- 

 lection and preservation of these tiny and very 

 delicate insects are a most difficult matter, in- 

 volving unwearied patience and extreme care. 

 The fact that most of the collections have ar- 

 rived at the museum from remote parts of the 

 world in fair condition says much for the zeal 

 and care with which the gentlemen concerned 

 have endeavored to carry out the wishes of the 

 Colonial Secretary in this important investiga- 

 tion. 



YELLOW FEVER AND MOSQUITOES. 



A PEELIMINAEY paper on the etiology of yel- 

 low fever, by Walter Reed, surgeon. United 

 States army, and James Carroll, A. Agramonte, 

 Jesse W. Lazear, assistant surgeons, United 

 States army, was read at the recent meeting 

 of the American Public Health Association at 

 Indianapolis and is published in the last issue 

 of the Philadelphia Medical Journal. It appears 

 that in eleven cases in which non-immune indi- 

 viduals were inoculated through the bites of 

 mosquitoes (culex fasciatus) two attacks of yel- 

 low fever followed and that another attack is 

 directly traced to the bite of a contaminated 

 mosquito. The authors conclude as follows : 



For ourselves, we have been profoundly im- 

 pressed with the mode of infection and with the 

 results that followed the bite of the mosquito 

 in these three cases. Our results would appear 

 to throw new light on Carter's observations in 

 Mississippi, as to the period required between 

 the introduction of the first (infecting) case and 

 the occurrence of secondary cases of yellow 

 fever. 



Since we here, for the first time, record a case 

 in which a typical attack of yellow fever has 

 followed the bite of an infected mosquito, within 

 the usual period of incubation of the disease, 

 and in which other sources of infection can be 



