﻿(B) 
  

  

  ENTOMOLOGICAL 
  ADDRESSES. 
  

  

  THE 
  MOSQUITO. 
  

  

  [Read 
  before 
  the 
  Dana 
  Natural 
  History 
  Society 
  of 
  Albany, 
  May 
  14, 
  1887.] 
  

   Strange 
  as 
  it 
  may 
  seem, 
  the 
  common 
  objects 
  in 
  nature 
  surrounding 
  us 
  

   on 
  every 
  side 
  and 
  ever 
  at 
  hand, 
  are 
  those 
  of 
  which 
  we 
  frequently 
  know 
  

   the 
  least. 
  Day 
  after 
  day 
  throughout 
  our 
  lives 
  many, 
  if 
  not 
  most 
  of 
  us, 
  

   pass 
  along 
  the 
  streets 
  without 
  knowing 
  the 
  nature 
  of 
  the 
  stones 
  we 
  tread 
  

   upon, 
  the 
  names 
  of 
  the 
  trees 
  that 
  throw 
  their 
  grateful 
  shadows 
  over 
  our 
  

   pathway, 
  or 
  of 
  the 
  birds 
  or 
  insects 
  that 
  fly 
  around 
  us. 
  If 
  the 
  cultivated 
  

   mind 
  may 
  find 
  " 
  sermons 
  m 
  stones, 
  books 
  in 
  the 
  running 
  brooks," 
  surely 
  

   volumes 
  of 
  intense 
  and 
  absorbing 
  interest 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  inter- 
  

   pretation 
  of 
  the 
  vegetable 
  and 
  animal 
  kingdoms, 
  in 
  their 
  infinitely 
  varied 
  

   forms, 
  their 
  complicated 
  structure, 
  their 
  wonderful 
  transformations 
  and 
  

   peculiar 
  habits: 
  and 
  how 
  much 
  do 
  we 
  lose 
  from 
  our 
  inattention 
  to 
  

   these 
  common 
  objects 
  — 
  the 
  almost 
  constant 
  presence 
  of 
  which 
  before 
  

   our 
  eyes 
  is 
  a 
  perpetual 
  invitation 
  to 
  their 
  observation 
  and 
  study, 
  and 
  a 
  

   rebuke 
  for 
  their 
  neglect. 
  

  

  I 
  have 
  chosen 
  for 
  my 
  topic 
  of 
  this 
  afternoon 
  paper, 
  one 
  of 
  these 
  

   common 
  objects 
  — 
  a 
  very 
  common 
  insect, 
  with 
  which, 
  perhaps, 
  you 
  may 
  

   think 
  yourselves 
  sufficiently 
  familiar, 
  while, 
  in 
  reality, 
  knowing 
  next 
  to 
  

   nothing 
  of 
  it. 
  And 
  if 
  I 
  shall 
  succeed 
  in 
  showing 
  you 
  that 
  the 
  mosquito, 
  

   perhaps 
  the 
  most 
  universally 
  obnoxious 
  of 
  our 
  insect 
  pests, 
  possesses 
  many 
  

   attractive 
  features 
  and 
  has 
  its 
  beneficent 
  uses 
  in 
  nature, 
  you 
  may 
  feel 
  

   inclined 
  to 
  extend 
  to 
  it 
  henceforth 
  some 
  degree 
  of 
  toleration, 
  and 
  even 
  

   to 
  honor 
  it 
  with 
  a 
  little 
  attention. 
  Yet 
  I 
  shall 
  not 
  expect 
  that 
  even 
  the 
  

   enthusiastic 
  members 
  of 
  the 
  Dana 
  Natural 
  History 
  Society 
  will 
  be 
  wrought 
  

   up 
  to 
  such 
  a 
  state 
  of 
  ecstasy 
  in 
  its 
  contemplation 
  that 
  they 
  will 
  adopt 
  

   the 
  sentiment 
  of 
  a 
  distinguished 
  naturalist 
  of 
  the 
  past 
  century 
  — 
  " 
  it 
  is 
  

   impossible 
  to 
  behold 
  and 
  not 
  admire 
  the 
  amazing 
  structure 
  of 
  the 
  

   mosquito's 
  sting 
  : 
  one 
  undergoes 
  with 
  pleasure 
  a 
  puncture 
  that 
  enables 
  

   us 
  to 
  observe 
  how 
  this 
  wondrous 
  piece 
  of 
  mechanism 
  works." 
  

  

  The 
  Common 
  Name. 
  

   Mosquito 
  is 
  a 
  Spanish 
  and 
  Portuguese 
  word, 
  and 
  is 
  probably 
  the 
  

   diminutive 
  of 
  the 
  Spanish 
  mosca 
  fly. 
  Its 
  orthography 
  varies, 
  it 
  being 
  

   given 
  by 
  Webster 
  as 
  m-o-s-q-u-i-t-o, 
  m-u-s-q-u-i-t-o, 
  m-u-s-k-e-t-o. 
  For 
  

  

  