Democratic Sentinel, Volume 19, Number 32, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 August 1895 — THE FEMALE MOSQUITO. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

THE FEMALE MOSQUITO.

IN the accompanying illustration the great American mosquito is portrayed in a manner admirably calculated to impress the mind with her abilities. It should be said at once that the bloodsucking mosquito is always a female. The male mosquito is a well-behaved in- ’ sect and only drinks water. Projecting from the mosquito’s head in the picture of the complete insect will be seen a straight cylinderical spike. It is a tube or trough, no thicker than a hair, and is terminated by two small fleshy lips. This tube contains the instruments by means of which the mosquito penetrates ths hu-

man skin, fills herself with blood and leaves behind a deposit of virulent poison. No less than six piercing instruments are contained within that little tube. They are shown in the picture of the head and elsewhere on a still larger scale. When the mosquito settles down to business, all these instruments are pressed on to the skin at once, and a very intricate boring operation begins. The trough-like lower lip may be seen to bend in the middle, and the mosquito fills herself with blood, which passes into the body through the upper lip. It is believed that the instrument attached to the base of the upper lip is used to iniect noison into the wonnd.

are a play upon words, but this will only add to the fun of the performance. You may easily arrange an evening’s entertainment during the holiday week with the assistance of the present illustrations and surprise some of your grown friends. The big people in the Pictures might be represented by sofiie older boys and girls. A few rehearsals will be necessary before you can finally ring up the curtain on a perfect representation of these jolly shadow pictures.—The Delineator.