﻿326 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  The 
  Female 
  only, 
  Bites. 
  

   I 
  would 
  not 
  bethought 
  as 
  reflecting 
  in 
  the 
  slightest 
  — 
  even 
  through 
  

   innuendo 
  — 
  upon 
  the 
  gentler 
  sex 
  — 
  "Heaven's 
  best 
  gift 
  to 
  man" 
  — 
  

   without 
  whose 
  presence 
  Eden 
  was 
  incomplete 
  ; 
  but 
  a 
  proper 
  treatment 
  

   of 
  my 
  topic 
  and 
  inexorable 
  science 
  demands 
  of 
  me 
  the 
  statement 
  to 
  which 
  

   the 
  use 
  of 
  the 
  feminine 
  pronoun 
  has 
  been 
  leading 
  me 
  up 
  and 
  preparing 
  

   the 
  way, 
  to 
  wit 
  : 
  all 
  the 
  annoyances, 
  pains, 
  tortures, 
  which 
  the 
  world 
  

   endures 
  from 
  the 
  mosquito, 
  is 
  solely 
  chargeable 
  upon 
  Madame 
  Culex. 
  I 
  

   cheerfully 
  admit 
  that 
  the 
  natural 
  taste 
  of 
  Mr. 
  Culex 
  may 
  be 
  equally 
  

   blood 
  thirsty, 
  but 
  alas, 
  poor 
  creature 
  ! 
  he 
  has 
  been 
  left 
  without 
  the 
  means 
  

   of 
  gratifying 
  a 
  sanguinary 
  desire. 
  He 
  is, 
  therefore, 
  compelled 
  to 
  forego 
  

   the 
  exquisite 
  relish 
  of 
  the 
  royal 
  repasts 
  in 
  which 
  his 
  consort 
  finds 
  so 
  great 
  

   delight, 
  and 
  be 
  content 
  with 
  the 
  juices 
  of 
  plants 
  and 
  the 
  nectar 
  of 
  lilies, 
  

   and 
  of 
  other 
  flowers 
  to 
  which 
  he 
  is 
  particularly 
  addicted. 
  He 
  has 
  not 
  

   been 
  favored 
  by 
  nature 
  with 
  that 
  delicate 
  and 
  complicated 
  piece 
  of 
  

   apparatus 
  which 
  is 
  so 
  admirably 
  adapted, 
  as 
  has 
  been 
  graphically 
  expressed, 
  

   to 
  being 
  driven 
  " 
  through 
  crushed 
  and 
  bleeding 
  capillaries, 
  shrinking 
  

   nerves 
  and 
  lacerated 
  tissues.'' 
  With 
  a 
  becoming 
  humility, 
  therefore, 
  he 
  

   rarely 
  visits 
  us 
  in 
  our 
  apartments, 
  or 
  even 
  obtrudes 
  his 
  presence 
  upon 
  us 
  

   when 
  we 
  seek 
  his 
  haunts; 
  and 
  few 
  of 
  us 
  know 
  of 
  the 
  branching 
  plumes, 
  

   fit 
  for 
  a 
  knight, 
  that 
  adorn 
  his 
  front 
  and 
  make 
  him 
  far 
  more 
  beautiful 
  

   than 
  his 
  unpretentious 
  mate. 
  

  

  The 
  Biting 
  Organs. 
  

  

  By 
  this 
  time 
  you 
  may 
  desire 
  to 
  be 
  told 
  something 
  of 
  the 
  character 
  of 
  

   the 
  biting 
  organs 
  of 
  which 
  the 
  effects 
  have 
  been 
  related 
  to 
  you. 
  

  

  Let 
  me 
  preface 
  by 
  stating 
  that 
  the 
  mouth-parts 
  of 
  insects 
  consist, 
  

   normally, 
  of 
  six 
  pieces, 
  viz., 
  four 
  lateral 
  pieces 
  consisting 
  of 
  a 
  pair 
  of 
  upper 
  

   jaws 
  denominated 
  mandibles, 
  a 
  pair 
  of 
  lower 
  jaws 
  named 
  inaxillcE 
  (which 
  

   in 
  biting 
  insects 
  that 
  feed 
  on 
  solid 
  matter 
  move 
  horizontally), 
  an 
  upper 
  

   lip 
  known 
  as 
  the 
  labrum 
  and 
  the 
  lower 
  lip, 
  the 
  labium 
  — 
  these 
  two 
  cover- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  mouth 
  from 
  above 
  and 
  beneath. 
  Some 
  of 
  these 
  bear 
  appendages 
  

   which 
  need 
  not 
  at 
  the 
  present 
  be 
  referred 
  to. 
  These 
  organs, 
  of 
  course, 
  

   are 
  greatly 
  modified 
  in 
  the 
  different 
  orders 
  of 
  insects, 
  to 
  adapt 
  them 
  to 
  

   the 
  different 
  methods 
  of 
  taking 
  their 
  food 
  — 
  whether 
  fitted 
  for 
  gnawing 
  or 
  

   tearing 
  in 
  pieces 
  solid 
  substances, 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  beetles 
  — 
  transformed 
  into 
  a 
  

   sucker 
  with 
  expanded 
  disc 
  for 
  sipping 
  its 
  food 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  house-fly 
  — 
  

   extended 
  into 
  a 
  long, 
  flexible 
  tube 
  coiled 
  up 
  in 
  a 
  spiral 
  when 
  at 
  rest, 
  for 
  

   drinking 
  the 
  nectar 
  from 
  the 
  bottom 
  of 
  tubular 
  flowers, 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  butter- 
  

   flies, 
  or 
  forming 
  a 
  long, 
  firm, 
  jointed 
  proboscis 
  for 
  thrusting 
  into 
  plants 
  or 
  

  

  