68 THE ARCTIC PRAIRIES 



leave any means untried. Next time I carry "dope." 

 The following recipe is highly recommended: 



Pennyroyal, one part, 



Oil of Tar, " " 



Spirits of Camphor, " " 



Sweet Oil, or else vaseline, three parts. 



Their natural enemies are numerous; most small 

 birds prey on them,-- dragon-flies also, and the latter 

 alone inspire fear in the pests. When a dragon-fly 

 comes buzzing about one's head the mosquitoes move 

 away to the other side, but it makes no considerable 

 difference. 



On Buffalo River I saw a boatman or water-spider 

 seize and devour a mosquito that fell within reach; 

 which is encouraging, because, as a rule, the smaller 

 the foe, the deadUer, and the only creature that really 

 affects the whole mosquito nation is apparently a 

 small red parasite that became more and more numer- 

 ous as the season wore on. It appeared in red lumps 

 on the bill and various parts of the stinger's body, and 

 the victim became very sluggish. Specimens sent to 

 Dr. L. 0. Howard, the authority on mosquitoes, elic- 

 ited the information that it was a fungus, probably 

 new to science. But evidently it is deadly to the Culex. 

 More power to it, and the cause it represents; we cannot 

 pray too much for its increase. 



Now to sum up: after considering the vastness of the 

 region affected — three-quarters of the globe — and the 

 number of diseases these insects communicate, one is 

 inclined to say that it might be a greater boon to 



