56 



sustained freshly-hatched mosquito larvae perfectly, so that even were a 

 person to go to the prohibitive expense of killing mosquito larvae in the 

 swamp with permanganate of potash, the same task would have to be 

 done over again two days later." 



Mr. Smith, referring to the use of kerosene as a means of controlling 

 the mosquito on Staten Island, stated that the botanist, Dr. Britton, 

 had entered a complaint against the use of this oil on the ground that 

 it was very destructive to all water plants. Eeferring to the possi- 

 bility of mosquitoes being carried by strong winds to considerable 

 distances, he stated that he had noticed that they would not rise or 

 take flight when a brisk breeze was blowing, and even a comparatively 

 slight breeze will keep them from upper stories of houses. He there- 

 fore doubted the wide distribution of mosquitoes by high winds. 



Mr. H. T. Fernald gave an experience with mosquitoes at Ooldspring 

 Harbor, Long Island. He stated that with a north breeze there were 

 no mosquitoes; with a south breeze, on the other hand, they were often 

 very troublesome, especially after a prolonged gentle wind of five or 

 more hours" duration. There were no pools on the center of the island, 

 and the mosquitoes were supposed to have been carried from the south 

 shore, a distance of some 15 miles. 



Mr. Hopkins stated that the reference to the so-called ring-legged 

 mosquito breeding in saline swamps, reminded him that among the hills 

 near Morgantown there occurs a similar mosquito which apparently 

 breeds in pools and small streams fed from coal-mine drainage, the water 

 of which contains a large per cent of sulphate of iron. He suggested 

 that this sulphur water might offer favorable conditions for this mos- 

 quito, which is quite common in the neighborhood of such waters. He 

 also stated that since an extensive pumping station had been located 

 near the river bank where the oil-pipe line crosses, a mile above Mor- 

 gantown, the oil frequently escapes out over the river and is apparently 

 the cause of the city being almost exempt from mosquitoes during the 

 past ten years. 



Mr. Osborn described the mosquito conditions existing at the agri- 

 cultural college at Ames, Iowa. He stated that in dry seasons the 

 small pools within a quarter to half a mile of the college building dried 

 up and the mosquitoes disappeared, in spite of the fact that within 

 about a mile there were large pools which never became dry. 



Mr. Howard, referring to the instance of mosquitoes breeding in water 

 coming from coal mines, cited by Mr. Hopkins, mentioned having 

 received the larvae of an Ephydrid fly from Los Angeles, Cal., which 

 breeds in pools of waste petroleum about the oil wells in that vicinity. 



Mr. Smith asked if it were possible for the mosquito to breed in mud, 

 and suggested that there was no reason to believe that the actual pres- 

 ence of water was necessary for all mosquito species. Mr. Howard 

 thought that such possibility was doubtful. 



