8 AMERICAN MUSEUM (HIDE LEAFLETS 



they may occasionally be scon on the snow. In tropical countries the 

 dry season is the period of inactivity for the mosquitoes. 



The food of mosquitoes consists ordinarily of the nectar and juices of 

 plants and fruits. This is always true of the males, whose mouth-parts 

 are not at all adapted for stinging. In certain species neither sex seems 

 to have any taste for blood, while on the contrary, it is well known that 

 mosquitoes living far in the woods, in the swamps, or in the Arctics 

 where their chances of obtaining a meal of blood may be almost infini- 

 tesimal, nevertheless, will seize greedily upon the opportunity when it 

 offers. It has been thought that a full meal of human blood is 

 necessary for the female Malaria Mosquito, in order that she 

 may lay hereggs, but this is certainly questionable. Theobald maintains 

 that, in England at least, the Malaria Mosquito seldom sucks blood. 

 Mosquitoes of sanguinary taste by no means confine themselves to 

 human, or even mammalian blood, they suck with eagerness the blood 

 of birds and reptiles whose skin they may be able to pierce. They have 

 frequently been observed feeding upon other insects and on caterpillars. 

 Howard asserts that they will attack small fish when these come to the 

 surface of the water. In captivity, mosquitoes are fed with success on 

 slices of banana or apple. They require water, but may exist for months 

 without any food whatever. On the other hand, they may feed as often 

 as they have opportunity, though several hours are required for the diges- 

 tion of a full meal. 



The average length of life of female mosquitoes is not less than a 

 month or two, but hibernating females must live at least six or even 



eight months. The life of the males is much shorter, and 

 Length ... ,.,, . . 



of Life nia . v "°t ex< ' t ' ei ' 8 Tew days m duration. 1 lie point is 



difficult to determine, since in captivity death may be the 



result of various artificial conditions. To compensate for the shortness 



of life of the males, they greatly outnumber the females. In several 



broods batched in aquaria in the Museum the ratio of males to females 



was eight or nine to one. Since a recently hatched mosquito becomes 



full grown in two or three days, and it may lay its first batch of eggs 



within a week, there may be as many as a dozen or more generations 



in the course of a year, in favorable localities, but seasonal conditions 



necessarily exert great influence on the number of broods. In dry 



climates breeding is confined to the rainy season, in humid tropical 



climates it may extend throughout the greater part of the year, while in 



