tting. The season does not commence till November,
coincidental with the departure of the mosquitoes. But there is enough
to occupy the interval, and there are not wanting casual travellers
whose bills suffice to cover current expenses. On these wayfarers the
faithful mosquito preys with the desperate determination born of the
conviction that time is getting a little short with him, and that his
pleasant evenings are numbered.

There are several ways of dealing with the mosquito, all more or less
unsatisfactory. The commonest is to make careful examination before
blowing out the candle, with intent to see that none of the enemy
lingers within the curtains of the bed. This is good, as far as it
goes. But, having spent half an hour with candle in hand inside the
curtains, to the imminent danger of setting the premises on fire, and
having convinced yourself that there is not a mosquito in the inclosure,
and so blown out the candle and prepared to sleep, it requires a mind
of singular equanimity forthwith to hear without emotion the too
familiar whiz. At Bordighera the mosquitoes, disdaining strategic
movements, openly flutter round the lamps on the dinner-table, and
ladies sit at meat with blue gauze veils obscuring their charms. Half
measures were evidently of no use in these circumstances, and I tried
a whole one. Having shut the windows of the bedroom, I smoked several
cigars, tobacco fumes being understood to have a dreamy influence on
the mosquito. At Bordighera they had none. I next made a fire of a box
of matches, and burnt on the embers a quantity of insect powder. This
filled the chamber with an intolerable stench, which, whatever may be
the case elsewhere, is much enjoyed by the Bordighera mosquito. These
operations serve a useful purpose in occupying the mind and helping
the night to pass away. But as direct deterrents they cannot
conscientiously be recommended.

There is one place along the Riviera where the mosquito is defied.
Monaco has special attractions of its own which triumphantly
withstand all countervailing influences. Other places along the
coast are deserted from the end of June to the beginning of November.
But Monaco, or rather the suburb of it situated on Monte Carlo,
remains in full receipt of custom. In late October the place is
enchanting. The wind, blowing across the sea from Africa, making the
atmosphere heavy and sultry, has changed, coming now from the east
and anon from the west. The hea