A MONOGRAPH OFTHE CULICIDAE OF THE WORLD. GENERAL NOTES. Several notes of general interest have been made and sent by correspondents that can scarcely be incorporated in the systematic part of this book. These are presented here. THE RELATIVEFREQUENCE OF CULICINAAND ANOPHELINA. It is interesting to note the relative frequence of these two sections of the CFulicidae. In most cases observations made personally during the past two years show that in Great Rritain the Anophelina, where they occur at all, are relatively more abundant in habitations than Culex. At Great Staughton during August the numbers counted in a privy in the morning were as follows during the week ending the 26th :-- 20th . 10 AM. Culex 12 ; Anopheles 37 21st . ,) . Culex 20; Anopheles 15 22nd . Culex 7 : Anopheles 40 23rd . ,; Culex 12; Anoiheles 17 24th . ,, :: Culex 2 ; Anopheles 7 25th . ,, . Culex 30; Anopheles 14 26th . ), .* Culex 8; Anopheles 27 eThe species were Cu1e.x pipi3iens and Anopheles mncuLpennk’ At Wye, again, observations were made during August, VOL. III. B September and October, again in a privy and also in a bed- room. AUGUST. Between In privy. In beihoom 12th . ~&~OA.IVI. Culex 4; Anopheles 6 . Culex 2 ; Anopheles 5 13th . ,, . Culex 1; Anbpheles 8 . Culex 1; Anopheles 6 14th . ,, . Culex 7;‘ Anopheles 15 . Culex 1; Anopheles 3 15th . ,, . Culex 3; Anopheles 3 . Culex 5; Anopheles 12 16th . ,, . Culex 7 ; Anopheles 12 . Culex 8 ; Anopheles 12 17th . ,, . Culex 9 ; Anopheles 8 . Culex 2 ; Anopheles 9 18th . ,, ., Culex 1; Anopheles 4 . Culex 3 ; Anopheles 4 SEPTEI+IBER. In prhy. In bedroom. 3rd . Culex 12 ; Anopheles 3 . Culex 4; Anopheles 6 4th . Culex 14 ; Anopheles 7‘ . Culex 7 ; Anopheles 8 5th . Culex 20 ; Anopheles 14 . Culex 2 ; Anopheles 2 6th . Culex 8; Anopheles 20 . Culex 3; Anopheles 4 7th . Culex 15 ; Anopheles 6 . Culex 4; Anopheles 1 8th . Culex 3 ; Anopheles 5 . Culex 2; Anopheles 1 9th . Culex 9; Anopheles 4 . Culex 1; Anopheles 0 OCTOBER. In phvy. AZ beclroonz. 5th . Culex 20 ; Anopheles 4 . Culex 12 ; Anopheles 2 6th . Culex 17 ; Anopheles 3 . , Culex 0 ; Anopheles 1 7th . Culex 30 ; Anopheles 2 . Culex 4 ; Anopheles 4 8th . Culex 12 ; Anopheles 4 Culex 0; Anopheles 6 9th . Culex 5 ; Anopheles 9 :: Culex 12 ; Anopheles 0 10th . Culex 8; Anopheles 8 . Culex 3 ; Anopheles 0 11th . Culex 10 ; Anopheles 0 . Culex 1; Snopheles 2 It will thus be seen that in some clistricts Anophe7esare more abundant at certain times than CuEex in this country. In other places AnopJLeZes do not occur indoors at all, the genus being represented by A. bifurcatus, which I have not found far from woods. In most warm climates, however, Culicinae largely preponderate. A series of careful observations on this subject have been made by Dr. Theiler at Pretoria, which are tabulated in the appended chart, which shows the frequency of C&x and Anopheles on the river at Pretoria. “The larvae were collected three times a week and then left alone for hatching. Every day the numbers were counted ; the chart shows, therefore, the relative value, and is made up with the intention to compare in which proportion Anopheles and CuZex may be found. The Anopheles were only found in the river in certain spots, usually in small pools of water alongside the river bed, into which run some small springs. The best breeding place was behind a rock, which protected the pool underneath from the afternoon sun. The CuZex were collected out of pools in no connection with the river and in tubs.” The Ano~~lreZts sent by Dr. Theiler were mainly P. cilzel*eus (Theobald) and P. _Z%eforiensis (Theobald), and a few N. ~nncuZi- palpis (Giles) and M. Maztritianm (Grandpre). The so-called CLbrown Ano$eLs ” of Dr. Theiler was cinereus, the “ black Anopheles,” Preto~iensis. For relative date of appearance of species, ai& pages 78 and 99. THE PAIRINGOF MOSQUITOES. Observations have now been made on the pairing of several mosquitoes. Dr. Low sends me the following notes on Xtegonzyia .fasciata and Culex fatigans :- “6’. fasciatn.-As soon as the insects emerge from the pupae, even on the first day, they begin to breed ; the males flying after and chasing the females till they catch them, and then fly about . joined together. This takes place in this genus by day and by night, and I have watched a male copulate with the same female several times. After they part from each other, the male pursues another female, until it may have fertilised many in a day. In one cage, in which there were fifteen old females, I one day intro- duced two young males. They immediately proceeded to breed, and went on doing so for hours. I did not actually determine’ the time spent in copulti, but it was always short, a minute or less, and not like the prolonged act of the Dragon-flies.” “ C. .fatigans.-In this species both males and females sleep by clay, but it is a quite common sight to see them pairing at night.” NOTE ON MALARIA AND MOSQUITOESOF THE WABASHVALLEY, CASS COUNTY, INDIANA, U.S.A. The following note was sent by Dr. Robert Hessler, A.M., M.D. :- The lowlands along the Wabash River in this part of Indiana were in former years notorious on account of the prevalence of malaria ; but at the present time cases of malarial infection are seldom seen, and, moreover, usually yield promptly to medi- cinal treatment. Presumably this is due to the fact that rein- fection is rare at present, and because quinine is given in liberal closes. The rarity of malaria at present is ascribed to the extensive drainage that has been made ; pools of stagnant water are seldom seen, and the river itself has sufficient current to render the watgr unfavourable for the development of the mosquito 0 :. B2 larvae. Some observations were made during the summer on the occurrence of different species of mosquitoes. Here, in Logans- port, all specimens seen were Culex fatigans, while away from the city, and especially about the, small pools and shaded hill-side springs, specimens of the genus Angpheles (punctipennis and maculipennis) are abundant. MOSQUITOES IN SPIDER SNARES. Dr. Durham sends the following note from Selangor, in regard to mosquitoes being caught in spiders ’ webs :- Generally speaking, it is not usual to find Gnats or Midges thus caught-indeed they may be seen to settle on them and to fly away again. “In a house at Taiping (Perak),” writes Dr. Durham, “ there was a small spider (perhaps about 4 mm.) which lived in tiny holes or defects on the surface of the plaster walls of the house (outside). Around this was a circular snare about the area of a crown piece, fairly closely woven of exceedingly delicate threads ; at a short distance these snares merely looked like dirty or mildewy patches on the wall. Mosquitoes, midges, and Tineid moths seemed to be the prey ; they were caught by entanglement of the feet, and sometimes were quite set out as on a mounting-card. The design is no doubt good for catching such insects which fly against a wall, and snares had as many as a dozen or more mosquitoes in them. I have not found the same beast again in houses, and regret I did not take any specimens.” MOSQUITOES FEEDING ON A CORPSE. Dr. Durham has also observed mosquitoes feeding on a corpse. He writes : CcOn 11th August, 1902, when performing autopsy on a Chinaman-dead three hours-a S. fasciata (of which there were several about) settled on inner side of thigh and started to feed ; it was allowed to fill itself nearly, in order to be sure that it was sucking, and then was squashed.” VARIATION IN WING-MARKINGS AND IN POSITION OF THE CROSS-VEINS. Captain James writes, that “ the same mosquito shows different markings at different seasons of the year. For example, I have caught a good number of A. juliginoszcs’ here in Madras this month (%Iarch). The markings on the wings of all of l,hese are the same, but they differ considerably from the markings in all your drawings of this species (drawn from specimens taken in December).” That the amount of variation. in wing-markings is very great I am fully convinced, and the actual number of spots, for instance, cannot be taken alone as of specific value. Some species are very constant, others extremely variable. This occurs not only in the Anophelina, but also in the spottecl winged Culicinn (Le. genus Theobaldia). The cross-veins seem to be most unstable in certain species of Czclicidae, both amongst the Anophelina and Culicinn, but I have never observed this to occur in the Aedeomyina except in Sabethrs. Certain species of Anopheles have the cross-veins fairly constant, others have them so in one district, not in another, whilst others seem to be always subject to variation. In CicZe.c pipiens I pointed out in vol. ii. p. 1X5, that the relative positions of the cross-veins may not be the same in the two wings of one specimen. I have since found this to occur in Theobaldia in&dens (called to my notice by Professor Aldrich) ’ in Myzo~zyia Ross2 and M. funesta. Captain James has observed the same in M. culicifacies. Under the circum- stances, the position of the cross-veins cannot be taken to be of any specific value in closely allied species, not that one would be likely to base a species on one such character when we know the great variation in this respect in certain species. This variation in position of the cross-veins was first called attention to in Anophelina by Drs.