BIRDS EATING MOSQUITOES 177 
and of mosquitoes and found that they captured them very promptly. In 
Europe the larva of Salamandra maculosa is known to destroy mosquito larve. 
Tadpoles, or pollywogs, are so frequently found in stagnant ponds that the 
question has often arisen as to whether they destroy mosquito larve. In our 
experience tadpoles and mosquito larve do not occur together; we have found 
mosquito larve invariably absent from water inhabited by tadpoles. This may, 
however, be purely a coincidence and not due to any effect from the tadpoles 
themselves. As the tadpoles are wholly vegetable feeders their influence, if any, 
upon the mosquitoes must be a purely mechanical one; their violent movements 
might cause a contant disturbance which would interfere with the mosquito 
larve. It must also be remembered that, at least in temperate regions, the tad- 
poles appear when the great wave of mosquito larve has already passed and when, 
in fact, very few mosquito larve are to be found. Doctor Smith records some 
experiments made by Mr. W. P. Seal, of Delair, N. J., with the tadpoles of the 
bullfrog (Rana pipiens) which resulted negatively. Even when the tadpoles 
had been deprived of all food for several weeks they would not eat mosquito 
larvee. 
REPTILES. 
In the tropics insectivorous lizards undoubtedly destroy mosquitoes along 
with other insects. Giles states that the bright little gecko lizard, commonly 
found in bungalows in India, is a valuable destroyer of mosquitoes in houses. 
He considers an individual gecko “at least equal in mosquito destroying effi- 
ciency to a fly paper of the largest size, and their company should be encouraged 
accordingly.” ‘There must be other species having similar habits, but as far as 
we are aware specific mention has not been made of their mosquito diet. 
BIRDS. 
As a matter of course, many insectivorous birds which feed while on the wing 
destroy mosquitoes in great numbers. This is especially true of the goatsuckers 
(Caprimulgide), to which belong our night-hawks and whip-poor-wills, as they 
are mostly active at twilight when mosquitoes are most in evidence. An observa- 
tion is on record by the late Professor F. L. Harvey, in which he states that he 
found over 600 insects, largely gnats and flies, in the crop of a single night-hawk 
(Chordeiles virginianus). 
Mr. Allan H. Jennings, formerly entomologist of the Isthmian Canal Com- 
mission, has published an interesting note in the Proceedings of the Entomo- 
logical Society of Washington, vol. 10, pp. 61-62, on the mosquito-eating habit of 
the Cuban night-hawk (Chordeiles virginianus minor). He states that while 
collecting birds on the island of New Providence, Bahamas, in May, 1887, he 
had an opportunity of observing the effectiveness of this bird as a mosquito 
destroyer. 
“One afternoon about 4 o’clock a heavy thunderstorm came up from the 
west accompanied by much rain. When the storm passed by, about an hour 
before sunset, it was followed by large numbers of birds of many species, but 
mainly the smaller insectivorous birds, warblers, etc. ‘They were moving in the 
direction the storm had taken and were evidently feeding as they went, though 
passing quite rapidly. Accompanying them was a number of Cuban night- 
