16 
Malarial fevers . — Malarial fevers were reported as having been 
very prevalent in the neighborhood of this pond in 1914, and we 
saw houses that had been abandoned on this account. The survey in 
June gave no reason to believe that the pond was a considerable 
factor in the production of Anopheles mosquitoes, but the second 
examination did. In some parts of it the breeding was prolific. 
These, too, were mainly A. quadrirruwulatus , a well-known malarial 
vector. The production of a considerable number of this species 
within the distance of flight from residences might be a decided 
factor in producing malaria. 
We were told about the middle of August that there was less—some 
said much less— malaria in the country in this vicinity in 1915 than 
during the previous year. If true, this may have been due, so far 
as this pond is a factor, to the abandonment of houses in the most 
unhealthful locations or to a change in the biological condition of 
the pond. Excepting Sulphur Creek Bayou and its environment, 
we found breeding of sanitary importance in but few parts of the 
pond close enough to residences to be a menace to their inmates. 1 
A search for mosquitoes in houses, residences, and outhouses was 
made at the village of Talladega Springs, Fayetteville, and Shelby, 
and at the Lock 12 power plant, Kytles Mill, and in a certain 
number of other houses in the country. The findings were inter¬ 
esting, but do not seem entirely pertinent to this paper. One con¬ 
clusion reached from them is that A. quadrimaculatus from Sul¬ 
phur Creek Bayou visit residences in greater numbers in the parts of 
Talladega Springs closest this breeding place. In the other parts of 
the village not more of this species were found than were found in 
Shelby, 4 to 5 miles from the pond, or in houses in the country far 
distant therefrom. 
RECOMMENDATIONS. 
Although the investigation of impounded waters has not advanced 
so far that we can make definite recommendations for the preven¬ 
tion or removal of all remediable conditions, yet we felt justified in 
making to the power company owning the Coosa Pond certain gen¬ 
eral recommendations to lessen the mosquito production therefrom. 
These were: 
(1) That they keep the level of the water as high as their flowage 
rights will allow during the season when the pond is not producing 
A. quadrimarulatus —i. e., from about October 1 to June 15 or 80— 
and lower it for the three summer months. 
1 So far as the year 1915 is concerned it seems proper to say here that the weather in 
late August and September was ideal for Anopheles production over much of the South and 
that malarial fevers were unusually prevalent in many sections reported to the writers 
from Virginia to Georgia, inclusive, and over North Alabama. There had also been much 
fever in Talladega Springs to the latter part of September. It is doubtful, then, if the 
section under discussion escaped. 
