EXPERIMENTS ON BITING HABITS 265 
The conclusions of the commission rest, at least in the main, upon the observa- 
tions of one of the members who was detailed for this work. A room was pre- 
pared to serve as both laboratory and sleeping room, arrangements made to pre- 
vent the escape of mosquitoes, and here the observations were to be made under 
the most natural conditions possible. “Lun de nous s’est astreint 4 habiter 
cette piéce pendant la journée et la nuit, afin d’observer les Stegomyia fasciata 
qui, soit isolément, soit par séries, y ont été introduits au cours des saisons 
chaudes de 1904 et 1905, dans un but expérimental.” * (Ann. Inst. Pasteur, 
vol. 20, 1906, p. 105.) We are further informed that the observer absented 
himself from the room at meal-time only and that the observations were con- 
tinued day and night, the first time during 18 days, the second time during 28 
days. Clearly a continuous effort for such periods is beyond the power of the 
ordinary man and the excessive fatigue resulting from such an attempt must, 
as we shall see, seriously affect the character of the observations. 
Seven separate experiments were made. Five of these were with series of from 
6 to 8 mosquitoes and two of them were with single mosquitoes. Thus 42 is the 
maximum that we can assume of mosquitoes used in these experiments. Five 
of these experiments were cut short before the sixteenth day by the accidental 
death of the mosquitoes. In the two remaining experiments, which were carried 
beyond the sixteenth day, nine mosquitoes were employed. The results of these 
two experiments are given in detail; of the others we are briefly told that the 
results were similar, as far as the biting habits are concerned. “ Nous rap- 
porterons en détail les deux derniéres comme étant les plus complétes.” (We 
report in detail the two last as being the most complete.) 
EXPERIENCE I. 
Un lot de 8 Stegomyia fasciata femelles, nées et élevées au laboratoire, sont 
mises en liberté dans la chambre 4 expérience, 24 heures aprés leur passage a 
Vétat parfait. Pendant ces 24 heures elles sont restées enfermées en compagnie 
de males et ont été vraisemblablement fécondées. 
le jour: piqires nombreuses entre 9 heures du matin et 5 heures du soir. 
2e jour: piqfires (1 ou 2 seulement) entre 3 et 6 heures du matin, a l’ob- 
scurité. Piqtires nombreuses de 10 4 11 heures du matin. 
3e jour: pigfires entre 1 et 5 heures du matin. : 
4e jour: piqdres entre 9 et 10 heures du matin. Piqfres entre 4 et 5 heures 
du soir. 
Se jour: piqtires 45 heures du soir. Piqtires 4 10 heures et $ du soir. 
6e jour: piqtres entre minuit et 5 heures du matin. Une piqfre a 3 heures 
du soir. 
Ye jour: piqfires 4 5 heures 3 dusoir. Piqifires a 10 heures du soir. 
8e jour: piqdres 4 2 heures du matin, a l’obscurité. 
9e et 10e jour: pendant ces 2 jours, on a laissé les moustiques seuls dans la 
chambre a expérience. 
1le jour: i ftes entre 6 heures et 6 heures 4 du soir. Piqtires entre 10 et 
11 heures du soir. 
‘ bliged to inhabit this room day and night in order to observe Stegomyia 
dicate tiene sometliias singly, sometimes in series, were introduced, during the hot seasons 
of 1904 and 1905, for experimental purposes.” 
