Mosquitoes 



85 



blood. They have been seen feeding on blossoms, 

 ripe fruit, watermelons, plant juices, etc. They 

 are very fond of ripe bananas and are fed on them 

 in the laboratory when we wish to keep mosquitoes 

 for experimental purposes. 



THE THORAX 



The middle part of the body, called the thorax, 

 is really a strong box with heavy walls for the at- 

 tachment of the powerful wing and leg muscles. 

 The three pairs of legs are covered with hairs and 

 scales, and their tips are provided with a pair of 

 claws which vary somewhat in the different spe- 

 cies. The wings (Fig. 68) are long and narrow 

 with a characteristic venation. Along the veins 

 and the margin of the wings are the scales which 

 readily enable one to distinguish mosquitoes from 

 other insects that may look much like them. In 

 some species these scales are long and narrow, al- 

 most hair-like, in others they are quite broad and 

 flat (Fig. 69). Just back of the wings is a pair 

 of balancers, short thread-like processes knobbed 

 at the end. These probably represent the second 

 pair of wings with which most insects are pro- 

 vided, and seem to serve as balancers or orienting 

 organs when the insect is flying. On the sides of 

 the thorax are two small slit-like openings, the 



