( 250 ) 



it wholly otit, there being an aperture left on one iide of the flieath, 

 which might be opened by a touch. 



Having taken out the iHngs of many Gnats, through this opening 

 in the fide of the flieath, and having examined fcveral Gnats, who 

 protruded their Itings, fome in part and others to their full extent, 

 througli tlie fame aperture, I fancied that I faw the extremity of the 

 lling to be pointed like a spear, and to be barbed or jagged on each 

 fxde. But, on more narrowly examining the ftings I had extracted, 

 I found I had been miliaken in this : that what I at firft took for one 

 fmgle lling was, in realit}^ compofed of four parts, for, out of w hat 

 I before deemed to be only one I took tw o liings, each having hooks 

 or barbs at the ends ; the third part, from which I took tliofe two 

 (and which might alfo be called a fting), was open on one Iide, in 

 like manner as I have mentioned refpeAing the flieath, and termi- 

 nating in a point, and appearing, through the microfcope, like a quill 

 cut fl oping: the fourth piece, which was exceedingly thin, feemcd to 

 be placed round about the lall mentioned fling, but, when I exa- 

 mined it more narrowly, I faw that it alfo lay in the cavity of it. 



When I had feparatcd thefe four pieces of the flmg from each 

 other, they did not preferve their ftraiglit figure, but became fome- 

 what bent, efpecially thofe two which had hooks on them, fo that 

 I could not place thefe two laft before the microfcope to my ^\ ifli. 

 Hereupon I vv^as obliged to cut afunder thofe four pieces, and gi\'e 

 diflindl drawings of each of them from the microfcope, in order to 

 fliew to all men, and in particular to my own countrymen, (wlio I 

 fuppofe are more tormented with thefe infctls than the people of 

 other nations, by reafon of the many flanding waters we have, where 

 they breed in great multitudes), this wonderfully formed and mi f- 

 chievous weapon in the Gnat. 



To place all thefe things in a clear and diflindl view, I will firft 

 exhibit the figure of the Gnat's fling, as defcribed by Swammerdam, 

 and which he says he himfelf has feen. Plate XV III. Jig. 0. A B 

 C D E, is, as Swammerdam fays, the fling of the Gnat, with its 



