314 
EASTERN ETHIOPIA 
XXV 
life. Mosquitoes abound in all climates : they swarm 
ill tropical and subtropical countries ; and are found in 
Arctic regions. 
The life-history of the Mosquito is briefly this :—■ 
The eggs are laid by the female in water, on damp 
mud, or on leaves. The incubation period occupies a 
few days, and the larva emerges and lives in the water. 
Any collection of water is useful for this purpose, such 
as lakes, ponds, rivers, pools or puddles, cisterns, rain¬ 
water tanks, calabashes, dower-stands, or gallipots, the 
fluid in the pitchers of the Nepenthes plant, and in the 
deep concavities of the leaves of the pine-apple. 
The larvae, popularly known as wrigglers, live a short 
time and then pass into the pupa stage; the pupae 
constantly come to the surface of the water to breathe. 
The duration of the pupal life varies from two to twelve 
days. When the pupae are ready to hatch they rise to 
the surface of the water and as they straighten out the 
pupa-case splits over the thorax. The mosquito then 
uses the case as a raft whilst its wings dry and then 
flies away. The majority of mosquitoes hatch out in 
the early morning or at midday. 
The adult mosquito prefers night for feeding : during 
the day it hides away in shrubs, bushes, and in the 
corners of huts, tents, and houses. For food, certain 
species take vertebrate blood ; this they obtain by means 
of an efficient organ known as the proboscis. The females 
alone have the blood-sucking habit, the males feeding on 
plants. 
Mosquitoes have always been regarded as pests in all 
warm countries. In districts where they abound the 
inhabitants have been accustomed to exclude them from 
the dwelling apartments, and especially from the sleep¬ 
ing-rooms, by means of mosquito curtains made of a 
thin material which cannot exclude air and light, yet is 
sufficiently strong to prevent the ingress of these trouble¬ 
some insects. These measures were taken, not because 
the mosquitoes were known to be winged-vehicles of 
