75 



State Board oe Health of Florida, 



Jacksonville, Fla., June 26th, 1912. 

 Dr. L. 0. Howard, Chief of Bureau of 'Entomology, 

 Washington, D. C. 



Dear Doctor — Some twenty years ago, perhaps longer, at Tavares, Fla., at 

 development company undertook to build a winter resort. Tavares was at 

 the time a small municipality with perhaps two or three hundred inhabitants, 

 located among the lakes in the southern part of the State. 



Among the earlier efforts at development an opera house was constructed, 

 but owing to the freeze of 1895 it was never completed. The municipality 

 never grew to amount to anything; in fact, I think the number of inhabit- 

 ants now is what it was about then. The doors and windows of the lower 

 floor of this opera house were securely fastened up to keep intruders out, 

 but the upper windows were only closed by loose boards, which soon dropped 

 out, making it easily accessible to bats. They took advantage of it, and in 

 the course of a few years were there in countless thousands. I know of no 

 way of estimating the number, but you may get some idea of its from the 

 fact that the only time I was ever there at the right hour was on a trip to 

 Eustis. The train stopped at Tavares one-half hour before sunset, and 

 remained there something like forty-five minutes. I took advantage of the 

 occasion to see the bats emerge from the building. I had only been watch- 

 ing a few minutes when they began, first a single one, then two or three 

 together, and as if the rustle started them,, then they began seriously flying 

 out of the window with incredible swiftness. There must have been at 

 least half a hundred a second. I watched this stream of bats pouring out 

 for half an hour or so, and was told by some of the residents of Tavares 

 that it would continue until something like half an hour after dark, making 

 probably two hours altogether. 



It was on this trip, now seven years ago, that I was making some mosquito 

 observations, and I have to confess that I have never seen more mosquitoes 

 in the interior of the State than I saw at that time. 



Some two years ago the opera house in question was cleaned out and 

 converted into a packing house. I have since made inquiry of the citizens 

 in the vicinity of Tavares and Eustis, as to whether they have experienced 

 any appreciable difference in the number of mosquitoes now and when the 

 bat roost was at its height, and am convinced that the difference, to say the 

 least, is not such as to cause one to notice it. 



Again thanking you for your information, I ami very truly and cordially 

 yours. 



(Signed) Hiram Byrd. 



The present month I applied to Dr. E. W. Nelson, Acting 

 Chief U. S. Biological Survey, for his expert opinion on this 

 matter, and have received the following statement : 



