This ridge of higher ground proved to be a 

 mosquito roost— a thousand here to one in the 

 deeper, denser grass. As I hurried across I 

 noted with great satisfaction that the piuk-white 

 blossoms of the spreading dogbane were covered 

 with mosquito carcasses. It lessened my joy- 

 somewhat to find, upon examination, that all 

 the victims were males. Either they had drunk 

 poison from the flowers, or else, and more likely, 

 they had been unable to free their long-haired 

 antennse from the sticky honey into which they 

 had dipped their innocent beaks. Several single 

 flowers had trapped three, and from one blossom 

 I picked out five. If we could bring the dog- 

 bane to brew a cup which would be fatal to the 

 females, it might be a good plant to raise in our 

 gardens along with the eucalyptus and the cas- 

 tor-oil plants. 



Everywhere as I went along, from every 

 stake, every stout weed and topping bunch of 

 grass, trilled the seaside sparrows— a weak, 

 husky, monotonous song, of five or six notes, a 

 little like the chippy's, more tuneful, perhaps, 

 but not so strong. They are dark, dusky birds, 

 of a grayish olive-green hue, with a conspicuous 

 [57] 



