88 
HOW TO COLLECT 
be put in small glass tubes, and then corked ; the corks may be 
coated with paraffin wax, though this is not absolutely necessary. 
Each tube should contain a scrap of paper, on which the necessary 
data (locality, date, whether from fresh or salt water, collector’s 
name, etc., with, if possible, a reference to pinned specimens of the 
perfect insect, so that these may be identified) should be written in 
pencil. 
The tubes should be packed in cotton-wool in a small tin box for 
transmission to England. 
It is scarcely necessary to add that each species should be kept 
distinct, in a separate tube. 
Observations on Habits, Distribution, etc. 
Detailed observations on the habits, distribution, seasonal occur¬ 
rence, etc., of mosquitoes will always be useful, provided that care 
is taken to note the species to which they apply—the species being 
distinguished by means of letters or numbers written on the under¬ 
sides of the discs to which the specimens are pinned. 
AVhile it is certain that in a natural state only an infinitesimally 
small proportion of all the mosquitoes that come into existence can 
possibly taste the blood of a warm-blooded animal, it is reasonable 
to suppose that primitively all Culicidce fed upon the juices of plants; 
some species are still exclusively vegetarian in both sexes ; in others, 
while the males are vegetarian, the females suck animal blood—in 
some species only exceptionally, in others habitually; and, finally, 
there are species in which both sexes suck animal blood. These 
characters should be noted. 
Collectors in countries infested by mosquitoes will render especially 
valuable assistance by making observations and investigations on 
the following subjects :— 
1. The characters, breeding-ground, larvae, and pupae of 
Sabethes, especially noting the <A and ? characters of each 
species. 
2. The antennae, the frontal and the palmate hairs of the 
larvae of all the Anopheles : detailed drawings are desirable. 
3. The ova of Mucidus , Megnrhinus , Eretmapodites , Sabethes , 
Wyeomyia , Uranotcenia , Aides, etc. 
