58 



Proceedings cjf Ninth Annuai, Meeting 



criticism! And, why not? The mosquitoes are present. They 

 nmst be or the theory won't work. We will admit it does work. 

 The obnoxious place is discovered and made immune against 

 further trouble. But the facts are that biting still continues 

 and naturally explanations are in order, so ideas, systems and 

 theories are served out to the public, but it won't down for long, 

 for ''as sure as shooting" someone will ask this question : ''Tell 

 us, Mr. Theorist, if it was possible to find those breeding places 

 after the adult mosquitoes have escaped, why was it not possible 

 to find them before they escaped, and if it is possible to make 

 such conditions immune against future breeding, why was it not 

 possible to do it against past breeding?" 



It is difficult to imagine what the answer to this question 

 would be if attempted by the advocates of the night collection 

 scheme. 



To admit the place was likely to contain breeding, and no at- 

 tempt made to discover it, no matter' for what reason, is to invite 

 censure, especially so, if, when rediscovered under the night 

 collection system, the place is then made immune; and, unless 

 it is made immune, there does not seem to be any reason for 

 the discovery to have been made or for the system to exist. 



To plead ignorance of the breeding place from which mos- 

 quitoes have escaped, is to admit negligence, and to acclaim the 

 night collection system a success, is to again acknowledge negli- 

 gence, because, unless mosquitoes have been allowed tO' escape 

 and are in evidence to be caught, the system will not operate. 

 There must be grist in the mill or the mill won't grind. 



After all, what advantage would there be to find the locality, 

 if, when found,^ there is no more breeding. Most certainly, if 

 you were m'aking a collection of bird eggs you would not make 

 much headway with the collection, even though you were able 

 to identify the birds flying about, if, when you had discovered 

 the place where the eggs had been laid, you found nothing but 

 empty nests. 



If we assume that such discovery is an advantage, then, in 

 order to obtain it, it must follow that the system is to operate 

 with unerring precision, but what would be the answer if the 

 system failed? 



The idea seems to be that when an escape has occurred, the 

 next best thing to do is to find out the locality where breeding 

 took place and then to apply a remedy against any further mis- 

 haps. Ho'W like the old story of the stolen horse and the lock 

 on the barn door! 



But, in all fairness, it must be kept in mind that the thought 

 is new, and most any new thought, whether it be that of Dr. 



