MOSQUITOES AND FLEAS. 21 



into our Southern States, if it proves to be new to our fauna. At Bee- 

 ville, Tex., a little fish is used for this purpose which is there called a 

 perch, although we have not been able to find out Just what the species 

 is. They soon eat up the mosquito larvjc, however, and in order to keep 

 them alive the people adopt an ingenious fly trai), wliich they keep in 

 their houses and in which about a quart of flies a day is caught. These 

 flies are then fed to the fish. This makes a little circle which strikes 

 us as particularly ingenious and pleasant. The fly traps catch the 

 flies and rid the house of that pest. The flies are fed to the fish in 

 the water tanks and keep them alive in order that they may feed on 

 the mosquito larva?, thus keeping the houses free of mosquitoes. 



Where kerosene is considered objectionable, and where fish can not 

 be readily obtained, there is another course left open. It is the con- 

 stant artificial agitation of the water, since mosquitoes will oviposit 

 only in still water. At San Diego, Tex., in the summer there are no 

 streams for many miles, but plenty of mosquitoes breed in the water 

 tanks. Some enterprising individuals keep their tanks free by putting 

 in a little wheel, which is turned by the windmill, and keeps the water 

 almost constantly agitated. 



THE MOSQUITOES OF THE COUNTRY AT LARGE. 



In the introductory paragraph the writer has indicated that we have 

 numerous species among the mosquitoes of the United States and that 

 several dilierent species may occur in the same locality. It happens, 

 however, that no definite knowledge exists, even among entomologists 

 as to the exact species which may be found in any given locality. The 

 desirability^ of a careful study of our mosquitoes is therefore apparent. 

 As a preliminary step, the writer borrowed all of the mosquitoes from 

 the collections of Prof. Lawrence Bruner, of the University of Nebraska, 

 Lincoln, Nebr. ; Prof. J. H. Comstock, of Cornell University, Ithaca, 

 N. Y.; Prof. H. Garman, of the agricultural experiment station at 

 Lexington, Ky.; Prof. 0. P. Gillette, agricultural experiment station, 

 Fort Collins, Colo.; Prof. C. W. Johnson, Wagner Free Institute, Phil- 

 adelphia, Pa.; Prof. Otto Lugger, agricultural experiment station, 

 St. Anthony Park, Minn.; Dr. W. A. Nason, Algonquin, 111., and Mr. 

 Th. Pergande, Washington, D. C. The material thus received, together 

 with the collection of Culicidjp of the department of insects in the 

 National Museum, was placed in the hands of Mr. D. W. Coquillett for 

 specific study. 



The results of this study were interesting. Mr. Coquillett had under 

 his hands mosquitoes from nearly all ])()rtions of the United States. 

 He found that the material represented twenty different species, of five 

 genera, and was able to make out some important synonymical facts. 

 In the distribution of certain species the results were unexpected. It 

 was found that some of tlie commoner forms, viz, Cultw cousohrinus, 

 C. excitansj C. perturbanSj C. posticatus, C. punycnf^, Vroi^ophora ciliata. 



