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' Aestivation ' of Mosquitoes 



In very hot and dry countries, the Anophelines 

 which remain through the dry season appear to 

 exhibit some peculiarities in their habits : — 



1. Unlike hibernating mosquitoes, they feed 

 regularly and are found full of blood. 



2. The ovaries are in the majority large and 

 the ova fully developed. 



3. They do not lay their eggs even when 

 ' test pools ' are made near the houses in which 

 they abound. 



The Significance of Breeding- Places in the Dry 

 Season. — It is usual in hot and dry climates to find 

 in the dry season at most a few breeding-places. 

 It is a mistake to conclude that these represent the 

 distribution of Anophelines in the area in question. 

 Under such conditions careful search will demon- 

 strate that Anophelines are present in small numbers 

 in nearly every hut. After the first downpour of 

 ' the rains,' young larvae will be found, in from 

 three to four days, in puddles throughout the 

 district, shewing that numbers of Anophelines have 

 survived the period of drought which may have 

 been two months or more. One cannot, therefore, 

 by measures directed solely against a few pools 

 that remain in the dry season, hope to effectually 

 get rid of the Anophelines in a district. 



The Male Anopheline 



Little is known as to the habits of the male 

 Anophelines. When they are found in numbers it is 

 probably a sign that breeding is going on at the 

 time. At times the number of males caught in 

 native huts exceeds that of the females. Copula- 



