ADAPTATION FOR THE INDIVIDUAL 97. 
assiduous. Alternately raising and lowering her lan- 
cets from either side, she pierces, then saws, her way 
down through the flesh until she has buried her in- 
struments in her victim and her head rests against 
her prey. Now a pumping motion of the abdomen 
will be apparent, and this continues its accordion-like 
action until it becomes more and more distended. The 
insect only gives up its task when the entire abdomen 
is swollen into a great red ball of blood. The 
mosquito will now slowly withdraw its instruments 
and retire from the scene, if permitted to do so. If 
there is any fear of annoyance from the bite, a drop 
of ammonia immediately applied will counteract any 
irritation which would have been produced by the 
saliva of the mosquito. The insect is not intentionally 
vicious in this procedure. It is simply gathering its 
own natural food, though this does not make it less 
annoying to us since we are its victims. The swell- 
ing produced after the bite is the result of the action 
of the saliva the mosquito injected into the wound. 
The opening through the tongue is so small that blood 
would readily clot inside the tube and prevent its fur- 
ther usefulness, did not the mosquito inject the secre- 
tion of its salivary glands into the wound. This acts 
upon the blood in such a way as to prevent its coagu- 
lation. 
‘Anyone who thinks carefully can add numberless 
