The Sting of a Gnat, as defcribed hy Stvammerdam, JJieivn to have 

 been erroneonjly pidured hy him. The Author s de/cription of the 

 Gnat's Sting, and alfo of that of the Horfe-jly, and the Feathers 

 on the ivings of Gnats. 



JJOCTOR John Swammerdam has lately printed and publiflied 

 to the world a figure of the Gnat, as drawn from the microfcope, 

 and particularly its Hing out of the cafe or flieath, which fting is 

 pictured exceedingly pointed and flender, and extended to a great 

 length from the (heath. Upon viewing this figure, I could not per- 

 fuade myfelf that the fting was, in reality, formed in the manner 

 there exhibited ; for I was well allured that, if of fuch a fliape, it 

 mull either be bent or broken when thruft into the ikin ; nor could 

 I eafily believe that in the head of a Gnat, or in the fore part of its 

 body, tliere could be contained mufcles or organs of fufficient length 

 and ftrength to give the fting its necessary firmnefs. For thefe rea- 

 fons I determined to examine into the true formation of the Gnat's 

 fting, and I was alio defirous of difcovering, if poflible, the reafon 

 of the great pain it excites, and of the fwelling on the Ikin caufed 

 by the pundlure. 



I could not difcover that the Gnat, when ftinging, protruded the 

 fting from the extremity of the flieath (though I thought I faw, 

 rather obfcurely, a fmall part of the fting fo protruded), but I al- 

 ways found that the Gnat made a wide opening on one fide of the 

 ftieath, in like manner as if one was to hold a fword in a flieath, the 

 leather fides of which were laid together in fuch a manner that, when 

 the fword was to be ufed, it would not be neceflary to draw 



Vol. IL I i 



