246 BANKS. 



bring others, or at least they continue to come, one by one, for half an 

 hour or longer. 



This mosquito does not bite immediately when it alights upon the 

 hand ; rather, she stands as if waiting to see if she will be molested, and, 

 if not, she probes for a moment with the tip of the proboscis and then 

 at once inserts it. 



The males have the peculiar habit of flying back and forth in front 

 of anything upon which they are about to alight. This they continue 

 for some time, remaining at a distance of not more than five centimeters 

 from the object. 



Copulation: The members of this species copulate in the afternoon 

 between the hours of five and six. A male dancing along in the air in 

 front of an object upon which a female is resting, will, after a few passes, 

 fly against her. She at once takes wing, and the male, pursuing and 

 flying beneath laer, clasps her mth his fore and mid feet. The two 

 insects fly in this way for about five seconds, performing the act of coition 

 and immediately separating. I have killed many couples by crushing 

 them between the palms of the hand and have invariably found them 

 with the ventral surfaces toward each other. Specimens confined in 

 small jars have been seen to copulate while the female hangs from the 

 gauze covering the vessel, the male always approaching her from the 

 ventral surface. 



A single male will copulate with from seven to eight females if con- 

 fined ia a jar with them. After copulation, the males, as well as the 

 females, rest upon a vertical surface upon their fore and mid legs, keepiug 

 their hind legs in a constant motion above the back. One leg is usually 

 elevated much above the other. 



The females have never been found feeding on anything other than 

 blood. The males are occasionally attracted to sweets, but have never 

 been seen to bite. 



Stegomtia samarensis Ludlow. 



This species is both sylvan and domestic and while not by any means 

 as abundant in dwellings as S. persistans Banks, it is a veritable pest 

 in the forest during the entire day, but more particularly in the late 

 afternoon. 



It may be distinguished at once from S. persistans Banks by the white, 

 median, dorsal stripe on the thorax. It is, as a ride, a slightly larger 

 species and is not so active as S. persistans. 



Egg: Length 0.75 millimeter. The egg of this species is practically identical 

 in shape and size with that of S. persistans, the only difference being that it is 

 slightly broader across the blunt end. The eggs are laid in the woods, in hollow 

 bamboo joints and are placed upon the soft, wet substance of the joint just above 

 the water. The length of the incubation period is one and one-half to two days. 



